I asked the resident engineer, who said, "Oh, asking for a friend, are you?" Love his sense of humor, it's his secret to job security. Anyway, after the usual engineer hemming and hawing, he agreed with Mickey2. I think I'd take it to the harbor freight store, conveniently located less than a mile away, and check to see if the hog ring pliers would work on it. These are the pliers that open when you squeeze the handles instead of closing. Very handy tool. Once you have it you use it a lot more often than you'd think. Wish I could find mine, lol. Having ADD makes me the black hole for tools. If its spring steel, it will be able to open and shut a few times. If not, it might break or deform so its no longer useful. In which case, there may be a hog ring the right size to replace it. Hog rings are also.used on the bottom of chain link fences to anchor the links to the cable that keeps it taut and prevents squeezing under the bottom of the fence. They may have another name but hog rings should get you there. If there's a well stocked farm or feed store closer to you, or an OSH, you may be able to get them there, too.