Well, this proves the rule of thumb about "one bend to a customer". But I'm still sorry to see the ending come out like this.

Booger, the claim that the temper restores itself came from my buddy in the aircraft industy. Maybe it comes back due to working the metal. I don't know. I DO know that the spare angle bracket that I bent up was back to very tough and springy and not at all soft like it was when I bend it following the annealing process. It may have been the act of bending it that toughened it back up, I don't know enough about it other than what my aircraft metal guy told me and my own results that seem to go counter to your information.