bending gear lever - how?

[Duncan Grimmond]

Good red heat makes it easy, oxy/propane will do it nicely, let it cool naturally.

[Derek Sheldon]

If in the process of bending you manage to break it off more than 3” above the the ball I’d be interested in it to make a remote .

[Andy Bennett]

I wouldn't try cold, probably work fine but old steel can crack under stress (or old minute cracks just open up) so no need to risk it.

I bent mine on my forge on v low, but a half decent propane torch would work well, especially if you have somewhere to block it in and contain the heat. Go for dull red, no more is needed for a slight bend and work it up and down the shaft a little beyond where you want the bend to avoid it kinking at the softest point, if you hit cherry red then its too much, which is around 700 degrees. If you quench then it will go brittle, depending on the steel composition, not good for a long thin rod where hardness from the quench isn't needed but strength is, so definitely let it cool naturally.

And definitely avoid the bottom third where they traditionally crack. I saw one which had gone just above the circlip ring so at a relatively chunky part of the lever, but of course also at the point where it received a lot of leverage and force. Welded it back up and reformed the circlip groove and looked like new.

Andy