Mine was yanked off at the terminal end or ELSE I would have done as you suggested.
as an aside... when comparing the two photos... you are pretty much crime scene forensic in your replication...
I enjoy seeing your attention to detail and the sheer number of hours experimenting to find the correct finish.
Sometimes it is mind numbing, however the research and all of the experimenting is what keeps my attention.
Recently I was contacted by someone planning the painting of a 59 big brake fuelie I said that is going to take a good bit of research into some pretty rare cars, ok send me some photos... Glutton for punishment or addicted to it.