"a trusted mechanic to do the job. (there's an oxymoron for you but I have one)." OOOOOOOOOOUCH!! That hurt, but I hear ya.

Believe it or not, most techs I have worked with use a socket that is the right size and drift it in and if that is not an option then you simply tap in gently all the way around with a flat punch. Too bad you can't find someone on the board to borrow them from because they do make it a lot simpler job. There are other boards I belong to that do that sort of thing. I'd loan you mine but I might kind of miss them.

As far as a special pick goes you probably saw my reply on the thread with all of the nice pics, I use a screwdriver. Most people seem to have posted a concern about scratching the shaft and while it is a concern it really does not seem to happen. What you need to really watch for is to not put a fat scratch/gouge in the aluminum housing that you are removing the seals from.

Mark