Question: What’s the best tool for pulling parts off tight-fitting pins without causing any damage or scratches?

Answer: The best tools I’ve found are some parallel smooth jaw pliers made by Sargent & Co. and sold by Brownells. I’ve got about three or four different sizes and variations of these pliers and use them daily at my bench. The smooth jaws rarely cause any damage to parts and the parallel clamping feature allows the maximum in holding power. These pliers are just about as near to an essential tool as you can get, in my opinion.