melting cut ends of cord

I'm a fan of the melt-with-a-lighter, roll-between-my-fingers, swear-loudly-when-I-burn-my-fingers-with-melted-plastic method.

Well I am a bit odd but this is how I do it.
I burn the end off with a Bic and then squeeze and twist the blob before it cools down.
Many will burn themselves doing that (you need to be quick and not too soft…) but if you wet your fingers before doing it you should be alright.

Blast, David beat me to it.
I am now learning to type with both fingers (left AND right index)

you could wear gloves

You want to get it nice and melty and manipulate it with your fingers. Use a pen or something to pull off any excess goo.

I melt, then use a cloth to wipe over the melted end. Often leaves a tapered end, a bit like a pencil tip.

David's post reminds me of a Gary Larsen cartoon. Cavemen holding their meat over the fire with their bare hands, grimacing in pain. One of them says, "Hey, look what Zog do!" Zog (wearing thick glasses), is at a separate fire, holding his meat over the fire on the end of a stick.

Lots of times I use the metal top of the lighter against a table. Get the end into a melted blob, shut off the lighter, then put the rope on a table and draw the lighter across it. Do it a few times and rotate the cord between each time. You have to be pretty quick and it often leaves a thin tail that you have to cut off, but it's easy and doesn't burn your fingers. It's also quick, since you don't have to drop the lighter to pick up anything.

It's nice to know that I'm not the only masochist here. lol I do the same melt / roll between fingers thing.

I, too, am in the use a "Bic lighter-melt-the-end-roll-the-string-and-yelp" camp.

However, you could use heat shrink caps found at most local hardware stores:
http://bit.ly/R9hzNn

Various sizes. A hair dryer or a lighter does the trick usually.

Never had the need to use them personally but some prefer them.

Y'all are a buncha Neanderthals.

I sacrificed an old kitchen knife. I heat it on the stove and then cut the cord or webbing on a wooden cutting board. It makes a very clean sealed end.

re: Neanderthals

I am short, hairy, have thick eyebrows and, even when my skinniest, run stocky.

Ya think ?!?!?!!?

;)