Fixing bent PW pilot step

[49Lionel]

Is it possible to fix a moderately bent pilot step on a PW die-cast steamer?  Any advice will be greatly appreciated!

Dave

[lionelsoni]

I have read that zinc is malleable between 100 and 150 celsius, although brittle at room temperature.  I wonder whether boiling water could be used to soften it enough to straighten it, possibly without harming the paint.

[chuck]

It's a bit of a crap shoot.  The material that has been bent/deformed is more brittle than the material around it.  Trying to bend it back into shape will probably harden even further and may result in breakage.  You can try the hot water trick to releave the stress from the original bending before trying to bend it back.  You probably also want to try the repair in small increments with hot water treatments in between. 

Things not to try:

The oven in the kitchen (issue of outgassing, paint and other elements in the alloy) 

direct heat from a torch or soldering iron

Heat gun on high settings.

Anything where the temp can go above 700 degrees 

[Jumijo]

Is this on a shell or a separate pilot. If the pilot is separate, just buy a new one.