Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 9,808
Likes: 1,781
From: Northern California
Bikes: Cheltenham-Pedersen racer, Boulder F/S Paris-Roubaix, Varsity racer, '52 Christophe, '62 Continental, '92 Merckx, '75 Limongi, '76 Presto, '72 Gitane SC, '71 Schwinn SS, etc.
I've fixed a few seatstays with this exact sort of defect.
I always left the bike upright and intact, and using a 2X4 or similar foot-long piece of lumber as a drift, tap the end of the wood with a 3-lb hammer.
The opposite stay sort of gets in the way, so I alternate hits with the lumber placed on one side of the opposite stay, then the other side.
This damage and repair will in no way affect anything except the cosmetics, and even this should be slight.
6 or 7 taps should allow you to fine-tune the shape pretty well, and I'm sure you'll be pleased at how easy this is.
The seatstays are really quite pliable as compared to the chainstays, but I've straightened those with this same method.
If the wheel is kept bolted in place, I'd be surprised if the lateral alignment ends up any for the worse, since the comparatively beefy chainstays are still holding the alignment solidly.
Oh, and good score!