Haha! One takes their chances when the opportunity arises. My wife and I had a good laugh about it as a good mate of mine offered to sign an affidavit attesting to the effect of the damage on the tonality.
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Yeah, my luthier friend suggested using a socket that fits snug around the outside of the ferrule. I would also use a drift thatās better sized to the ferrule. The one I used was a bit smaller so I was effectively hitting just one side of the ferrule which I suspect contributed a lot to the damage. I wish Iād taken a picture of the underside of the piece that came out, it had the dark laminate of the headstock along with a smaller but significant piece of the headstock main wood.
If Iād used a drift more sized to the ferrule, the pressure would have been the same all the way around the ferrule resulting in more even extraction.
My luthier friend said the pictures I sent him and my description meant he would be more careful with such repairs in the future as well. Imagine the stress of such a repair when you are being paid what in my view is a relatively low rate of pay for guitar repairs.
Thanks to all for your great replies. It was a lengthy post but with all the love and attention we give to our guitars, I figured it was worth it.
A small c-clamp works great for pressing stuff in/out. a piece of wood with a hole just big enough so the top of the ferrule goās through on the front and a socket just a little smaller than the hole in back. few twists of the clamp will pop it out easy.
I probably would not have thought of this if you wouldnāt have said somethingā¦ Thank you for that.
Dave
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Thatās a great idea, would allow slow continuous pressure. Thanks.
Sorry, Tony! Sounds like a frustrating day! Looks like you did a good job though, and good job on keeping your cool with it all too!
Also, a bit exciting though, sounds like a NGD coming up! 
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Tony, I like tinkering myself and appreciated all the detail on your project. I liked how you tackled one problem at a time a worked your way through it. Itās the sweat equity that builds those relationships with our guitars! Good luck!
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@Dave999 Your suggestion of a c-clamp has given me the confidence to tackle replacing the tuners myself again. I was going to turn the job over to my luthier friend, but with the c-clamp I can have the slow pressure needed to extract without pulling off more of the veneer. Obviously with the right sized socket over the top of the ferrule.
hehe, Iāve scored some unexpected consulting $ (Iām retired) so the NGD is something Iāve been actively working on. Getting closer to making a decision on that, hopefully within a month.
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not sure I would use a socket on top because itās metal and could mar the finish but it depends on how tight there in thereā¦ if the clamp turns pretty easy then it should be ok.
Ok. Thanks.
Oh Tony, Shock, horrorā¦ 
Pretty decent repair though, given the damage that was done. 
What is the headstock surface material that actually cracked off? Paint? If so, maybe it can be filled and air sprayed, then repolished.
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The surface material is a thin veneer of wood. It wouldnāt be overly hard to fill it and completely restore the finish. I doubt that I will do it, as it is, the repair is hard to notice unless you are looking for it.
Itās a guitar thatās a keeper, I have owned it for well over 10 years now and canāt imagine selling it. So thereās not a lot of motivation on my part to fix it further. I will still replace the tuners as I still have the new ones sitting here next to my desk.
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