I wasn't going anywhere very fast until I stumbled on using a pocket knife to remove the fossilized
Silicone. And once I turned the pocket knife's blade perpendicular to the surface and scraped the Silicone
off it was done in a very short time and came out beautiful hardly touching the phenolic tube.
I didn't even know RTV Silicone sealant/adhesive was around in the early '70's. I was using Permatex
on my mini bike repairs. Us kids all played with mini bikes. One day I decided to run model airplane
fuel in my mini bike. It ran like a scared cat until it threw the rod through the case. Silicone would have been
just the thing to seal up the big hole.
Robert