I pity you.
I had no trouble separating the joint from the knuckle. I had all my frustration trying to get one of them back in. I did the same stuff--worked on it for hours until I was frustrated, angry, fed up, despondent, hopeless, etc.
Went back out in the morning, gave it "Oh, one more try, WTF." And it slipped right in. I swear the thing is alive.
