Well it's good to see that the "nessecity and invention" thing is still alive and well.
brass, hmm,, should work, put a drop of oil on it from time ta time. Oil the pivot, keep the shelf dry is the rule. I still like the feeler gauge thing, plenty of sizes to choose from and ya don't hafta cut that much off for a shim. And you have the .001 and .002 to check head space.
Too keep the epxoy from sticking to places it shouldn't, just put some cooking oil on a q-tip and apply to those areas. (it works)
When yer pickin up those c-clamps, git a 3/8 drill bit, the shank is .375, same as the pivot pin. I cut and glued (contact cement) small pieces of leather to the faces of the clamp to protect the barrel and give better purchase to the clamp on the metal.