Looking for Espalier Nails or Anchoring Devices

Does anyone know a source for espalier nails, anchoring devices, or what-je-ma-call-its that are used to nail into brick walls to enable one to attach plants as espalier? I have purchased these little square nails with lead "ties" before and they worked well. However I cannot find them this year. Please, please help me find some more of them.

Or if you have an idea of what I could use instead, I am open for suggestions.

I don't know if these would work. I've never done espalier. It says they hold up tp 25 pounds. Lee Valley sells a lot of really good products and has excellent service too.

http://www.leevalley.com/garden/page.aspx?c=1&p=10437&cat=2,51520

Thanks for the idea. In my case they will not work because my mortor is flush with the old bricks that were used.

I have been looking high and low for a source of espalier nails. I actually found a picture of one. This one seems to have two nails with a connector between, the ones I purchased a few years ago, had just one nail and the connector was lead. Articles on espalier still refer to these anchoring devices so I am assuming they are still available somewhere. I just need your help to find them.

http://hort.ufl.edu/gt/espalier/espalier008.jpg

Well, I have two more suggestions. Again, I don't know if they would work but since nobody else seems to have suggestions at least I can try. I hope that you're able to find something that will work. The first is another Lee Valley product but you may be able to find them elsewhere. I don't know how much weight they can support though.

http://www.leevalley.com/garden/page.aspx?c=2&cat=2,33286,47472&p=47472

The other thing I was thinking is that it probably wouldn't be too hard to make them yourself. Looking at the picture it seemed like you just need the nails and something to attached the plant to them. You could simply get nails or screws designed for masonry. For the part between, my first idea was to use either wire or galvanized strapping with rubber/silicone tubing threaded over it (so the plant doesn't get damaged). The other idea I had for the 'strap' was to get electrical wire - the solid kind, not the one with lots of little ones. Cut the wire a little longer than needed, strip the ends and wrap them around the nails/screws, leaving the plastic coating on in between.

Another idea I just has was to use one nail/screw to attach a small piece of strapping. Then thread a plant tie through a strapping hole and attach your plant.

I hope that made sense.

Your ideas sound like any of them would be workable. However, the originals were just so elegant. They could be bent back and more branches added. They didn't restrict growth at all. They were just so ideal, suited for their purpose. The weather was better today, so I went out and took a picture. This is looking at the top of the square nail with the "ribbon" of lead. I could probably even manufacture them like lead sinkers if I actually wanted to go to so much trouble and knew how to make a mold for molten lead. It would be so much easier to just buy some from somewhere.

Thanks for the ideas, if I don't uncover a source, I may have to resort to making do with something else.