Heat will sure make things easier to bend, but it's a very dicey proposition if you don't know exactly what kind of steel you have and how it was treated after machining. It sure doesn't hurt (and would probably be beneficial to prevent cracks) to bring it up to like 150F or so, but I'd be afraid to heat it to the point where it becomes soft. Whatever kind of steel this is, it will probably lose temper, and so far I haven't found anyone who knows exactly how to heat treat it after bending it hot.
This is a very thin area and takes a lot of stress, and I'm afraid that the "heat til it's soft and bend" method will weaken it. Also, once heated above a certain point (above the usual "cherry red" you aim for when hardening), the properties of the steel can change to the point where it can never be brought back to proper temper. Bending cold is not the best method either, but it feels safer than heating.
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