"Andy Dingley" wrote in message
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On Nov 6, 11:21 pm, "Spamlet" wrote:

Is there an official way of getting them off without scratching up a shaft
by the way?

Destroy them, replace them with new ones. They usually suffer a loss
of springiness in being removed anyway.

Easiest way is to cut their circumference with a pair of side cutters.
Once they're no longer a ring, they lose much retention ability. If
you cut them twice, they fall in half.

Before some other smartarse says it, thirds surely