Brass tends to work harden, so you bend it, and if it isn't right then you heat it.....then it's soft again till you bend it again, then it's hard again. I'm not real great at explaining it, but basically you can bend it all you want cold, so long as you anneal it in between to resoften it. Everytime you rebend it you will work harden it. Back in the days before me copper (brass is copper and tin I believe?) tubing was use in aircraft hydralic and fuel systems because it was easy to route through the airframe......which is a great feature....unfortunately as those systems are pressurized and depressurized, and the airframe flexes, vibrates, etc....the tubing would work harden and eventually crack...bummer when your fuel lines crack:) Thank goodness stuff like this is no longer used....like since before WW2!
On a side note the trigger blade on my BAM50 is brass, which is good because the shape sucked...so anneal, bend to shape, done! Easy way to tell when you've over work hardened something is when it cracks....be careful!
Dan
