ya, thanks also for that tip.
I'm going to have to try it.
funnily enough, last week I fixed a friends bike where the plastic ferrule had disappeared (I suspect bars were twisted and yanked cable and smashed the plastic) and so the fd housinghad been pulled through the frame stop, schmusing the end all up. Luckily there was enough extra housing to cut off a cm and it was fine.
Just passing the tip on. You're welcome.
The non-profit shop where I volunteer just got a shipment of aluminum 4 mm shift cable ferrules. That's nice for a change. I suppose the steel housing wires will still poke through those, but they should last a bit longer.