Tom,
I wanted to use brass tube or solid brass so that it wasn't as hard as steel. I would rather replace the pins vs making new pads as the holes wear.
I was thinking about just putting a spot of glue on the outside end of each pin? I don't want the to be too hard to remove, I think maybe CA glue would be okay, I can heat it up and get the pins out as needed.
Been trying to finish up the drilling, then I need to do the little dog ears.
Thanks for your interest! It keeps me motivated, it is easy to get bogged down bay the shear number of parts I'm making...
Jim