Tinning the Iron

• 1). Plug in the iron and allow it to warm up completely. Depending on how old your soldering iron is, this could take a while. Check it by touching a bit of solder to it. If it does not melt immediately, the iron isn't hot enough.
  
  
• 2). Apply a thorough coating of solder to the soldering iron.
  
  
• 3). Clean the tip on the moistened sponge on the soldering iron stand. There should be a shiny coat of solder left on your soldering iron tip.
  
  

Soldering Stranded Wire

• 1). Cut and strip the stranded wire you want to solder. The amount of wire you expose will vary depending on your use, but you typically want enough wire exposed that you will be able to solder at least 1/4-inch of your length of wire without getting any solder up into the unexposed part of the wire.
  
  
• 2). Twist the strands together with your fingers and dip it in flux.
  
  
• 3). Clamp the wire into your soldering clamp.
  
  
• 4). Hold your soldering iron to the twisted wire. You want to heat the wire so that it will melt the solder, not drip melted solder into cold wire.
  
  
• 5). Hold the solder so it touches the heated wire. Allow the solder to melt into the wire, coating 1/4-inch without going up into the unexposed wire. Continue holding the iron and the solder to the wire until it is properly coated.
  
  
• 6). Remove the iron and the solder. Your stranded wire is now ready to be soldered.