Yes Sir the original snare wires didn't work at all. The drum had been "snareless" for... I guess more than 6 years now. So it did make a difference as now I have a fully functional snare drum!Now I just have to find a way to make that solder look better. :D
Perhaps if you use a small plumbers propane torch you'll heat the plate up more efficiently. I think the wires are wicking away so much heat from your soldering iron, there isn't much left to melt the solder properly. You can also use the plumbers solder which is much thicker than electrical solder. I would also use flux paste to clean everything before soldering.
Good luck!
Dave