I have a cast brass foot from an incense boat, (not that it matters, but if
you know what that is, it might give you a better idea of what it looks
like), about 2 inches in diameter. It has been dropped numerous times and
needs to be straightened. I'm thinking of turning a hardwood female mold as
close to the shape as possible, then tapping the rim from the inside out
against the mold until the rim is round and true again. BUT I am worried
about cracking as I straighten it, as a result of work hardening due to the
bending and my rebending.
Is this, in fact, a problem with cast brass and if so, how to anneal it?
I'm a little leary of just playing the torch on it. Could the kitchen oven
be used for this? It can be set as high as 550 F. ? Would that high enough
to anneal brass? It's a self cleaning gas oven but I don't have any idea
what the temperatures run to in the cleaning cycle but have wondered if that
might be useful for this sort of job or even drawing steel. Thoughts?

John