RE: Bending landing gear wire
Thank you, MinnFlyer! Proper heat treating takes much more than Laird SS says. The specific type of steel needs to be known, and a book should be consulted for correcttimes and temperatuers. The metal needs to be heated to a specific temperture for a specific amount of time, then cooled in a specific manner. It then needs to be annealed in a certain way. All this takes more equipment than the average R/Cer has in his shop. A torch will not produce the proper amount of even heat for the proper time. You MAY succeed in re-hardening the metal, or you may soften it further. Your shade tree annealing process MAY temper it, or it may make it so brittle that it snaps on the first bounce. Landing gear that is too soft will bend easily at the slightest rough landing.
To prevent these uncertaincies, always COLD bend.
Dr.1