Be a patient my friend, dont throw bases away just adapt your tweaking to do what you need to do, Jimbo left a tip on here about the black joints I use to have a prob with them also, get a candle warmer and put your pliers on them, it should help in squeezing the prongs, since the plastic on the black bases is harder, and you can get some ok WR sliders if you take your time, hope this helps