Mary, The best and easiest system I've found is to get a pair of "Fence Wire cutters". These are about 12" long and look like tongs with long handles. Out of the box the jaws are curved. You need to grind the face of the jaws FLAT, down to the "cutting edge". These usually don't have a very sharp edge and I suggest leaving them that way, as you don't want to cut the "rosewood", but rather grip it and force it out of the slot. Once you get the olde knuckles out, you will need to clean the slots of any glue/wood fragments. I usually use a piece of "power hacksaw blade" for this operation. Next, the hard part, is to sort the new knuckles so that the leather nap is all going the same direction. Once that is done, then glue in with hot hide glue, (be sparing), making sure that the "rosewood" is exactly vertical from the shank. Hope this helps. Best Regards, Joe Garrett, RPT, (Oregon)
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