You sure the test strand lied? Maybe you didn't process the full head evenly. Those ends are older and more porous, they grab color faster. A small test piece can't show how the whole head will react, especially with box dye underneath. You probably needed a different formula for the ends from the start, not just a toner fix after.

My silk survived binder clips just fine, maybe Caleb got a bad batch. People stress too much about dents that wash out anyway.

Heard about a friend's horse with a similar stubborn crack. Her farrier tried a glue-on shoe with a special resin build-up, and that finally did the trick after months of trouble. Makes you wonder if the glue-ons just give that different kind of support sometimes, doesn't it?

Checking every spool seems like a lot, but it's better than callbacks. My supplier switched brands last year and the new stuff has been solid. The connectors crimp right and the jacket doesn't tear as easy. Maybe it's just certain brands having a bad run.