Hi Mike!
Well, even if nobody else posted a solution, I believe yours has to be the best;
so it's not so important that yours was the only response! Now, the question is
where can I get a headphone stretcher like that in the picture?
One must use care during the stretching process and closely monitor the amount
of stretching, carefully making any necessary adjustments along the way.
As for tightening the phones up again, you could turn the earpieces around 180 degrees,
push them together and insert in the cleavage of the headphone stretcher; over time the
phones will be tightened up, at least somewhat.
In all seriousness, however, I discovered the "secret," which is simply to bend the
band open a bit; I overcame my "fear" of breaking the thing and discovered that
the wires are very springy and will not break. I feel slightly stupid having made this post,
but we all have our moments, I suppose! And yes, I changed call signs about two years
ago but never changed my user name here. Since I am lazy, I will probably leave it that
way until something forces me to change it!
73!