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If there's rust around you it's likely rusted up. I've smashed them so hard the axle nut threads were compressed and unusable. It will damage the threads on the axles if you pound it hard enough. Are you taking it off to repair the axle? If the boots are busted, you could try rebooting it without removing it from the knuckle. Drop the entire knuckle/axle assembly and just reboot it. If it's got green inner cups then it's OEM subaru and will be more reliable than a new aftermarket anyway. I've cleaned ad regreased noisy originanl Subaru joints and they work perfect. It's like a house door hinge - you generally don't replace the door or hinge when it's noisy you just clean it and lubricate it. Unless of course it's old, rusty, warn, and sloppy. OEM axles often aren't though.

Thank you, I will look for one. I really like how mildly abrasive that type is.

you can get the "pen" type erasers in the stand alone rectangular shape... search for "sand eraser" nice to have around - keep one in the tool box.

Yes, remove the axle from the transmission so you aren't hammering against it. With the strut free you'll have some play to swing the knuckle away from the transmission and out pops the other end. Make sure you take out the axle pin on the transmission side first.

I've had them rust so tight I had to change the knuckle. Put a large drift on the end of the shaft. Keep the nut loose but on to protect the treads. After soaking in PB Blaster of some other oil give it a good one. Pin punch to mark the top alignment bolt. Then remove it and loosen the bottom bolt. It will allow you to tilt the knuckel enought to remove the inner CV. You can then get the otter joint out of the hub.

My favorite was the old erasable pen erasers...not such a thing now. I haven't seen those in years. I've had to use a file on some copper contact pads when they have buildup mostly.