I would advise extreme caution if heating ball joints. I read in this forum a few years ago about someone having a ball joint grenade on them from using too much heat.
Thanks winifredevw. Luckily these must have been sitting outside as they (looked and act) dry and they are pretty much frozen in position (I could not move one and the other one took a few hammer hits to move the joint's threaded post kind of straight so it would fit through the hole in the arbor plates). I will keep this in mind and not do it again (famous last words... right! ).