blade
5) High quality, small diameter solder such as Kester 0.031 inch diameter Sn63/Pb37 (or 60/40) with a 282 flux and a 66 core--the critical part is the 0.031 diameter
6) A steel rule can be used for measurements but there is only one critical dimension and it can be determined from the connector body itself
7) Use decent cable cutters to cut coax to length.  Cutters with semicircle blades that slide past each other.  Radio Shack has some adequate ones for about $5.95.  The flat bladed cutters smash the end of the coax and take a lot of force.  Real cable cutters make a nice, clean end and require little force.
Procedure:
1) Slide the outer shell over the coax first--nothing is worse than doing a great PL-259 installation and forgetting to put on the shell first!
2) Measure 1 inch back from the end of the coax and, with the utility knife, cut through the coax jacket, the braid, and most of the dielectric.  Try not to nick the center conductors.  You don't need to cut all the way through the dielectric, only 80 or 90% of the way.  If you hit the center you can feel the drag of the knife increase.  The 1 inch dimension is not too critical since the center conductor will be trimmed later--just make sure it is at least 1 inch.
3) Slide the 1 inch piece of jacket and braid off the cable.  Take the dielectric and bend it from side to side a bit to break the last bit of uncut material and pull the dielectric off.  This can get a bit tricky depending on the brand of coax--on some coaxes the dielectric is held to the center conductor better than on other brands.  The dielectric wants to spiral since the center conductor is stranded.  You can use either gas pipe pliers and unscrew the dielectric or you can make a little gadget from sheet metal that has a slot in one end just a bit bigger than the center conductor.  When the dielectric was bent from side to side it forced a gap between the cut piece and the rest of the dielectric.  Insert the little tool into this gap and use it to pull off the dielectric, allowing the dielectric to spin as it comes off.     
NOTE: When pulling off the dielectric (or any operation that involves a pulling force against a length of coax) grab the

main length of coax at least 18 inches away from the end.  If the coax is held too close to the end there is a tendency to have the jacket and braid slide back from the end--exposing more of the dielectric.  When the jacket and braid are removed properly, the remaining braid and jacket should remain flush to the end of the dielectric.
4) Measure back 1/2 inch on the remaining jacket and very carefully cut through the jacket in a circle around the coax without cutting into the braid.  This involves a certain amount of "feel" and "finesse".  With a sharp knife the jacket cuts like butter, but the braid has drag.  It takes a very light touch to cut the jacket without cutting into the braid.  How tight the jacket is on the braid is a function of the manufacturer and the day on which the coax was made.  If the jacket is loose then just slide it off the braid without disturbing the braid.  If the jacket is held tightly onto the braid (i.e., the process temp was higher and the jacket tended to melt into the braid a bit) then make a lengthwise cut in the 1/2 inch piece of jacket so that the jacket can be peeled from the coax without disturbing the braid.  The key part here is to remove the jacket but to keep the braid intact so that it stays woven and tight to the dielectric.
5) Check again to make sure that the shell has already been placed on the coax!!!  Screw the body of the PL-259 onto the end of the coax very carefully in order to make sure that  a) all 7 strands of the center conductor come out the hole in the center pin and  b)  the braid is not disturbed.  The braid should go past the solder holes in the connector body and the dielectric should bottom out on the Teflon part of the PL-259.  Check to make sure that each of the four holes has intact braid inside.  If things don't go perfectly it is possible to rotate the connector body a bit until all of the holes show full braid. 
6) Using a hot soldering iron with a small

tip, try to heat the braid in one of the solder holes without heating the PL-259 body until the braid is tinned in the hole and then start heating the shell so that it takes solder and add just enough solder so that the inside of the hole is filled but no solder is on the outside of the connector body.  This first hole is tough since the body is cold--the result may not be as pretty as one desires but this first hole can be touched up after the other holes are soldered and the connector body has gotten warmer.  Proceed to the next hole and try to tin the braid before the solder starts to melt onto the connector.  A good connection with have a nice dimpled look to it--shinny and smooth, filling the hole but with no extra and a bit of sunken look since the solder has wicked into the braid.
7) Once the braid is soldered in all four holes, quickly slide the shell over the body and partially screw it onto the threads of the body.  This will help to heat sink the PL-259, cooling it down faster.  Note:  the center conductor has not yet been soldered.  It is left for last so that the hot air generated while soldering the braid can escape--otherwise you have a lot of bubbling at that fourth hole when doing the braid.
8)  Using sharp cable cutters, cut off the center conductor flush to the end of the center pin on the PL-259.  Heat the center pin and center conductor simultaneously and solder--allowing the solder to wick inside the center pin.  With finesse one can make a bit of a solder bubble on the end of the center pin.  Try not to get solder on the outer part of the center pin.  If you do, use a rag to wipe it off while the solder is still in the liquid state.
With good cable and connectors and the right tools it is possible to install PL-259s in only a few minutes.  Knowing how hard PL-259s have been to install you can now sit back and admire the beauty of one done properly!  It really does takes longer to describe that it takes to do the work.