it's best to replace them, and most of the hinges are supplied with new springs - that "flattened piece" is actually the rivet that's the hinge pivot, and wear there is what causes that problem as Bill sez above
"When we tug a single thing in nature, we find it attached to the rest of the world" ~ John Muir "When we tug a single thing on an old truck, we find it falls off" ~ me Some TF series details & TF heater pics
