Please help me put this frame together and / or take it apart!

[StinkGhoul]

I bought this awesome pop up large travel cot with frame second hand, barely used.

It’s turned up and all present and correct so I tried to setting it up.

The frame dismantles so it can go into a storage bag. So I started putting it together. One side slotted together easily.

This side... shit.

The parts are wedged not fully in. So I tried to take them apart to try again. Nope, they will not move a millimetre.

Does anyone have any good tips? Heating, cooling, turning into the Incredible Hulk, etc? Nearly broke my hand, can’t get a good grip as the metal parts are slippery.

One thing I can say is that it will be bloody sturdy if I ever get it assembled... might not be very portable though!

For what it’s worth, the vertical part should stay permanently in the black plastic part when assembled. It’s the horizontal bar I should be able to removed but it’s not shifting at all, and obviously I need to get the plastic part all the way in or it will be wonky.

Wd40 sprayed inside ? Or washing up liquid?

Do you have anything with grips? ( slipper socks? Winter gloves? Even washing up gloves?

*socks etc are to put over your hands for extra grip.. in case that wasn’t obvious!

I have some oven glove things which are gloves with silicone strips and even they aren’t helping. WD40 is a good shout, don’t think we have any but I’ll look for some