Other than the messy job utilizing boiling water (microwave or other heating method) I offer this tip: take a steel shaft tip (that you were going to throw away anyway) and heat the steel shaft tip with your torch or heat gun and push the heated tip into the ferrule (with the ferrule standing on your benchtop. The heated shaft tip will melt it's way thru the ferrule opening and form a perfect fit with very little effort! You can also use this method to fit a ferrule to a barrel hosel by putting the ferrule on a cool shaft tip and heat the hosel. Push the hosel onto the shaft while hold the ferrule from sliding and the heated hosel top will melt a perfect fit into the ferrule bottom. Split ferrules can be repaired by fusing with acetone. Gaps between ferrule bottom and top of hosel can be filled with "ferrule lace" (the ferrule "dust that comes off the linen belt) disloved in acetone!
to make a paste (in a small GLASS dish). Smear on the paste to fill the gap, allow to harden (just a few minutes) and then turn the ferrule in the usual way with a linen belt on your belt sander (save the "lace").
Martha Stewart says "ferrules are a good thing for making necklaces, earrings and X-Mas decorations" (no cooking required). She also tells people that rubber gloves at the sink prevent "kitchen aids". Gimme a break.
Arnie
