If you have built even one pinewood derby car, then you know that removing axles without damaging something can be quite a chore. Oftentimes, considerable force is required. If the force is applied to the wheel, then the wheel can be damaged, especially with the expensive, high-performance wheels in common use today. If a standard pair of pliers is used, the axle head can be chewed up.1 In either case, the car itself may be damaged as well.
Grasp the axle head with the pliers,
Squeeze firmly,
Gently twist and pull on the tool until the axle is removed.
When extracting tight axles, the axles may be bent. Use care to pull the axles straight out of the block; avoid pulling at an angle.
Use of the Axle Extraction Pliers may lightly scratch the outer edge of the axle head. Since most axle heads are tapered, this scarring will not affect the performance of the axle.
The Axle Extraction Pliers can remove axles that are glued in place with white or yellow glue. However, if axles are glued into the car with epoxy (or similar), the epoxy must be softened or removed before extracting the axle.