So why am I bending the rod AFTER I insert the rod?

Okay. Here's why. On the inside if the head, the brass rod comes through the tube and turns a 90-degree angle. At the end of the rod (inside the head) the rod is pre-bent into a tight little curl so that a spring can be attached. After the curl is there, obviously the rod won't go through the brass tube. Only the eyebrow-end of the brass rod can go through the tube... but not if it's bent, too. So I have to insert the straight portion of the eyebrow rod through the tube and THEN bend it to conform to the forehead (without busting the tube). That's the part that failed the first time with the little plastic tube. My hope is that the long brass tube will survive the bending.

By the way, I still haven't decided whether to attach soft fabric or a hard sculpted eyebrow to the eyebrow rods. That could be another story (disaster?) in the making.