Machines for automatically mounting and tightening clamps about objects to be fastened thereby are disclosed in my copending application Ser. No. 07/016,794, filed Feb. 20, 1987 and entitled "Apparatus and Method for Automatically Installing and Fastening Clamps Onto Objects To Be Fastened" (now abandoned) and in my copending application Ser. No. 07/160,004, filed Feb. 24, 1988 and entitled "Apparatus and Method for Automatically Installing Clamps." In these aforementioned copending applications, a flat blank is deformed at a deformation station into a circular clamp corresponding substantially to the outer configuration of the object to be fastened thereby. The thus-deformed clamp which is locked in its circular configuration at the deformation station, is then transferred by a transfer mechanism from the deformation station to be placed over the object to be fastened and is finally tightened about the object to be fastened by plastic deformation of a so-called "Oetiker" ear. The machines disclosed in my aforementioned copending applications have proved highly successful. However, in some instances, it may be desirable to mount an open clamp directly about the object to be fastened and to mechanically connect the overlapping ends of the clamp and tighten the same only after it is placed about the object to be fastened.