Hey guys, I still have a WD. I did not know the antenna had 3 wires, but I found out when I had trouble cutting a 1/4" inch off to try and lower the frequency a bit...the wire was very tough and was not copper.
I manage to crush the tip similar to Jay's comment. I sealed it with little epoxy/FG and used a rubber tip.
It is very old and I can tell the antenna is badly faded and brittle looking.
I have always felt the antenna worked very well and it didn't bend over near as much as the SS whips.
If you had a small rotisserie motor, and a roller jig, you could refinish the blank with some flexcoat. The Francis antennas will give you fiberglass splinters in your hands when the original epoxy coating weathers off... Not fun.