newb at soldering

Theres a sticky posted above. But here you go.... https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=23856&PN=1

touch the tip of the iron to the wire  and allow a few seconds for the iron to heat it up to the point that wire will melt the solder . apply the solder to the side of the wire opposite the iron tip this will ensure that the wire is hot enough to allow the solder to soak in if you are soldering onto a speaker terminal then take the wire and either feed it thru the hole of the term.and wrap excess around it or simply wrap wire around term.(if to thick to go thru hole first) then apply heat at the point where the wire and terminal meet  follow above directions 

hope this clarifies things

And your right practicing on spare wire is a great idea, also try using different ga. wire

make sure the wire is twisted together tightly it greatly effects heat transfer.  I've soldered 4ga. together this way so I know it works take your time, 110w iron will take a while

I try not to splice my power wires...even with solder, but it is a good way to use up scraps or the dreadfull....not enough wire..

I like to solder the ring terminals, I like to use the bare terminals for obvious reasons.

The 110 or even 150 watt is hot, but nothing sweats the connection like an open flame propane torch. Not the little one you might use for the shrink tube or your crack pipe or whatever.....a full size regular propane tip, like what a plumber uses.

This is also a good chance to see how 'flame resistant' the insulation is.

remember, soldering isn't just work, it's a work of art!