I've got two pairs of Koss PortaPros, both of which have broken at the plug. Unfortunately, I went and tried to fix them myself instead of using the warranty I wasn't aware of. I can't solder something that lasts more than a week or two.

How on earth do I get the paint isolation cleanly off of the wires (of all the things to use for isolation)? I've been trying to burn it off using a lighter with less-than-satisfactory results. I also have shaky hands which make getting a reliable solder at the plug a pain. Would it be easier to get a nice big plug with well-spaced solder terminals or get some cable with a plug already attached?
 
I'm mad at myself for missing the warranty info...
 
Any help greatly appreciated.

youre better off just replacing the entire cable, theyre really quite easy to take apart. 

So now I'm trying to get the black cover separated from the blue housing. I looked at a few threads on disassembling PortaPros and tried using a flathead and knife to pry at the four tabs in the back. It hasn't budged, and stress marks are appearing on the blue housing from where I've been prying. How much force does it take to get these off (this is how to get them off, right)?

the drivers should just pop off their swivel on the headband with your fingers, then you just remove the little plastic covers over where the wire goes in. 
 
see? 

 
you dont need to take the driver out of the blue housing at all. 
 
see here for the wiring http://www.head-fi.org/t/71148/diy-cable-gallery/6690#post_7494218

Oh...now I feel stupid 
That picture was exactly what I needed.
 
As long as I'm doing this, are there any cheap cables or earpads that are recommended over whatever I have (stock earpads) or the generic cables I can find at Fry's or RadioShack? I don't want to spend more than maybe $20 on either option and I know that won't go far, especially with cables.

pick up 6 ft of this (or as many feet as you want your cable to be)
http://www.redco.com/shopexd.asp?id=1149
 
one of these 
http://www.redco.com/shopexd.asp?id=305
 
and a little of this in your choice of color
http://www.redco.com/shopexd.asp?id=418
 
 
 
strip the outer jacket off of about 10-12" of the wire, clip the bare copper shielding at the base of the cut (wont be needing it), and make two twisted pairs out of the 4 wires. black/red, and blue/clear. 
 
heat shrink over where you cut the jacket, where the two twisted pairs split off. 
 
at the other end of the cable, strip off an inch or so of the jacket, and twist the black and clear wires together. those will be joined and soldered together as your ground. the blue wire will be your left channel, and the red will be the right channel. 
 
 
slip the barrel of the neutrik connector over the wire , followed by about an inch of your heat shrink, and then the plastic insulator they include with the neutriks. solder and crimp the neutrik connector on, slide the plastic insulator over the connections, slide the heat shrink down until it just covers the crimp on the connector, shrink it with a lighter or heat gun (careful not to melt it), and then slide the neutrik barrel over it all and screw it on. 
 
there, you have now finished most of the cable. 
 
soldering it to the drivers is pretty simple and straightforward, you can figure that out. 

Sounds good - I'll order some.

if you need soldering tips/advice and whatnot, theres plenty of it out there. google is your friend. 

Simon what's the difference between the mogami w2799 and the w2893? It's just that I see the w2893 recommended more often.

w2893 is decently thicker. 

But still not as thick as w2534 right?

I have soldered a new plug to the PortaPro wire. I scratched away the coating of the wire strands using a knife. After that it is easy to solder. Just don't scratch too much or the strand will break.
 
Here is a picture of it:
http://plazma.kapsi.fi/pictures/temp/slim_plug.jpg
I needed a low profile plug for a mp3 player with a socked on the side. I soldered it and added some epoxy for protection.

That looks like you covered the entire thing in solder.
 
daman... Did you cover the entire thing in solder? 
 
Seriously now, I'm not complaining about your work, it must have been really meticulous to use such a small plug. So you used silver epoxy? By the way, next time try to clean the cover of the wire by passing the solder wire through it. I also assume the plug on the right is the old one, right?

Quote:

joewalsh said:

Sounds good - I'll order some.

Click to expand...

Take pics of your process and the final product and post em up here!

For the cloth type wire tin the end using a combination of heat and solder until the coating breaks down and the solder sticks.