Looks like a flattened out hog ring to me. How it got that way no one will ever know.

Here is a pic of hog rings that I have left-over from the SC seat.
They are not sharp at all and I can bend them by my fingers. The tack that I stepped on would be impossible to bend by hand.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1714252785.jpg

my limited experience with hog rings is that they are fairly substantial and usually have a round cross section.

I agree with most of the others that it's a staple. And the following "The carpet is fairly new" statement would support having a staple from the installation of said, "fairly new" carpet laying around.

fairly new to me is a few years...lol

I could bend the hog rings with my thumbs, but I would need the pliers to close them up.
The staple I slid into my heel was not bendable and very pointy and sharp on the shorter end.

Turtles hunt game with those.

^^^
They're always up to something....

<iframe type="text/html" frameborder="0" width="480" height="394" src="//video.nest.com/embedded/live/LRn4HNvRmz?autoplay=1" allowfullscreen></iframe>

They come sharp and blunt, pre-bent with 2 acute angles and one easy angle and simply 2 bends at the ends.

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/i...xjgNk&usqp=CAU

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/i...Ledrw&usqp=CAU

There is no one style of ring.

^^^
They all have to be bendable to close the connection.

This staple, or whatever it is, was stronger and not bendable.

And very pointy at one end.

Alright then, let's call it a drive hook and be done.

^^^ I searched drive hooks and the closest I could find was this.....

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1714323833.jpg


Similar....but I'm still leaning toward a 'carpet pad tack'.

BTW...my heel is feeling much better today. :D






.

The more I think about it, even though I've never done it, when trying to pin the pad at the closest point to the baseboard.....hold the pin/tack by the long flattened end and hammer it in without crushing your fingers..:)
(or not even hold it....just poke it into the pad and give it a whack with the hammer)

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1714324485.jpg

There must be some carpet layers on here that can verify this.:)

That's a ⅜" Duofast staple we use to install carpet padding wooden subfloors with a hammer tacker stapler. That staple is not broken, one leg is bent straight probably from someone yanking out old pad. I've been banging those in for 53 years and have pulled hundreds out of my shoes, tires and body

^^^ Thanks for your expertise....I knew someone here would be sure of it.

The thing def was sharp...I was walking slowly and it slid right into my heel.

I am in the deformed Pad Staple thought line.

And, yes they are sharp. Found out how sharp many years ago rolling up carpet before the new carpet was installed. Opened a ring finger from the tip to the first joint. Many sutures , no rugby for a few weeks and the scar reminds me not to try and save a few $ when I can afford to let the pros do it.

see post #2 :)

I was thinking you meant a regular wire staple.....which is prob what this actually is called.
The thing that puzzled me, is how strong/rigid the thing is. It's like a small super sharp nail.

"I'm sorry. Not specific enough."

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1714336329.jpg

^^^
Reminds me of this.....Cliff was my favorite on this show.:)

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uGlx4xHPBZk?si=z9JxzW9n-VcJiTh6" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Drive hook:

https://www.multicominc.com/wp-conte...igital_a-6.jpg