1. "Dead soft" is not a metallurgical term. Even lead has a Brinnell hardness scale reading. The terms: too soft to be usable is a better description."
Too soft to be properly usable is a what reloaders call dead soft. Meaning, when it's too soft to have much "spring" or elasticity, it's "dead soft."
2. "no hope of restoration"...The brass could be hardened again by working it. However, it is unlikely to be successful."
You counter my comment strangly. First saying it could be hardened again by working it but then that we are unlikely to be successful in work hardening it! So, in a circular way, you have come back to agree that it can't be restored once it's damaged with excess heat. ??
My "Burning out the zinc" comment was only meant to be a relitive observation that too much zinc is lost if a neck is over heated, it's not an absolute. But, surely no rational person reading my comment would think the zinc is suddenly going to be totally absent? It sure seems to get too low to make any difference if the necks have been over heated to any marked degree and, you are right, it can't be worked back hard enough to matter.
And you haven't answered my question; What changes in the brass alloy to make it "too soft to be usable" or even to be work hardened afterwards if it is not a loss of zinc?