Well, what I did before painting, was just to grab a lighter and heat up the area to be bent, just enough to heat slowly the area about 6" away below the area, not too long since you will burn the area....and the whole piece if not carefull. Slow is better. Before getting "brownish", take away the lighter, and use a small screwdriver handle (or anything round for this matter) to make the dent, just big enough to make the proper sized dent.
Hope that helps.
