Nice video! It's great to hear you discovered my series on these and found it at least somewhat useful. Those brass wedges can be deceptive- I made the same mistake when I started out, the side that appears "fatter" is actually the thin end. And regarding the hands being stiff on the shaft, it's kind of hit or miss, it really depends on if someone's removed them previously. Using a small screwdriver like you did is often the best way to get them off (Second to using proper hand pullers, of course.) It's also nice to see someone else giving one of these Smith Alarms some TLC. I'm interested to see how your horological journey progresses! All the best