Originally Posted by
Jeff Wills
You won't have any issues with the new spokes. Bending spokes gently along their length to get them threaded into the hub won't change the metal enough to cause issues.
However, I'd be worried about the rest of the wheel. Since two spokes have broken already and, as you pointed out, the spoke holes are causing sharp bends at the nipples, I'd bet that the rest are ready to break. You may be better off replacing the whole wheel (if it's cheap enough) or relacing with fewer crosses. I think a 20" wheel with 32 spokes could get by with 2-cross on the rear and radial in the front.
You're exactly right--I already told the owner that he will probably have more broken spokes, but he's old and poor and doesn't ride that much. So we're going to hope for the best and see what happens . . .