Duncan Hornet axle removal tips

So just got myself a pair of hornets to mess about with. I want to remove the 2 shims but having trouble unscrewing the axle. I have tried using pliers but the axle won’t budge. Does anyone have any tips on how I can get the axle out?

Update: was able to get one of the axles out using pliers after a lot of twisting. cant see any damage and its now looping great. still having trouble with the second but I will keep at it with the pliers. if anyone has any other methods I could try please let me know :smiley: