For what it's worth

[geraldmorrissey]

It's frustrating to have a Cleco fastener whose prongs has spread so much you can't get it into the hole. Use to be I would just chuck them and grab another. Just for the hell of it I tried repairing one this morning. I put a #30 cleco in my pliers, squeezed it all the way down and wrapped tape around the handle to hold the pliers closed. I then rested the handle against my stomach with the Cleco tip on the anvil portion of my vice. I placed a drift punch against the tip of the prong then gave it a smart wack with a hammer, rotated the Cleco 180 and hit the opposite side. Problem solved I seem to have a marvelous grasp of the obvious.
Gerry
Patrol #30

[Chewie]

Good approach. I never thought to actually beat them into shape. I would sometimes squeeze the pliers with the cleco already up against a hole so it couldn't spread out.
My biggest cleco issues are when they don't fully retract, preventing a tight grip.