Hi Erik,
I rather think that removing the dust shields and pulling the cups might best be considered as one operation.
“Tapping gently”. Yeh right!!! OK until Professor Sodd sticks his oar in! It might well have worked when the hub was a lot newer but you are dealing with an old bit of kit so all sorts of gremlins might be in residence by now!
The most important thing is to pull straight and spread the load as much as possible hence suggesting a special puller. Spreading the load will be a nice exercise in balancing the size of the lips and the spaces between them so that they will pass through the hole. If you do decide to make a puller consider putting a square or hexagon on the threaded end so that you have some means of stopping the bolt turning with the nut. Also consider using something tougher than ordinary steel for the lips just in case it is all very tight. If it proves very tight consider introducing a ball thrust bearing under the nut to reduce the friction, it can make a huge difference and less effort means more control.
I have a good CAD package so I could do you a drawing given a few dimensions if that’ll help.
