[MrKazador]

I have used a 45w desoldering iron from radioshack.

 

[qusp]

doing it with a solder pot or a 'solder pot' on te ecnd of your iron works like a charm, I do that for my cardas tonarm wire and tht actually the way they recpommend to do it. also has the advantage of 'tinning' the stripped wires as well.

 

[chobint]

When reterminating my HD650's, the wires were still a little resistant to solder after de-enameling.

And also, BE CAREFUL with a jet type lighter. A standard bic lighter can be hot enough to melt those tiny wire strands, let alone a SuperJet 5000XL

 

[arielCo]

+1 on the solder-pot trick. Here's my variation:
 
I set my cheap 50 W iron from Parts Express to the max, then lay it on a table so that the screw that holds the tip faces up. Then I melt a bit of solder on the (phillips) head of the screw; it may not flow into it but rather make a bead (see the pic). Then it's just a matter of dipping each tip into the ball until you see it catch the solder when your hand naturally bobs up and down.
 

 
 
Use tweezers or a long nose plier if the heat is uncomfortable on your fingers or if you are afraid of melting the plastic above (they work as a heat sink).

 

[Rescue Toaster]

When I did a ton of 20 gauge enamel hookup wire for my old headphone amp, I took a cheap rat shack soldering gun (with the loop element and trigger), and put a blob of solder right in the 'nook' of the heating element, and used that to burn off the enamel. It heats up in only like 5-10 seconds and takes the enamel off instantly. And then I'm not getting burnt enamel garbage on my good soldering tips.

 

[TimmyMac]

Those wires with the fibres in them are super hard to solder for some reason.  I struggled with my westone UM2s for a long time.

 

[arielCo]

Quote:

Those wires with the fibres in them are super hard to solder for some reason.  I struggled with my westone UM2s for a long time.

I can resume my recent trouble tinning these wires in two challenges:

1. Need more heat! Apparently a typical 25W solder won't harm the varnish quickly enough.
2. Ash is your enemy. Rosin from the solder, flux and the varnish on the wire all turn into ash and ruin the copper surface.

 
Supplying additional heat is easy with a bigger iron; apparently 40-50 W is good enough and you should have one of those handy for soldering to chassis or thick wires.
 
About the &*%#ø ash:

1. Use the solder to melt the varnish. It will displace the varnish before it burns, and tin the wires at once through surface tension. Also, already-molten solder doesn't add ash from the rosin core. Nix the flux too.
2. Dip the wire vertically. If you apply the solder sidways *to* the wire, ash will form on the other side. If you don't have a solder pot (most of us don't), hold a blob the size of a pinhead on a flat tip or use the side screw as in the photo above.
3. Trim the plastic fibers before you start. Less ash.

 
(I wish I'd known this before wasting 1-1/2 inches of the length to my right bud)

 

[pdaves]

The aspirin trick works like a charm! And be sure not to breathe the smoke! It's awful!