Hey Jarrod-this may be interesting to you. Many times, I've found myself needing to do a "steel thing" but having no material, tooling, or facility. Typically, this was at night in a shipyard or during a race, stuck in the pits with no light. For itmes like coverplates, fishplates, throttle brkt stand-offs... whatever, I'll often just go ahead and use aluminum. (yes, I carry it around w/me in a bucket) It tools out much like hardwood. Saws just fine on a table saw, band-saw or hand held sabre saw. Use a belt sander w/80 grit C-clamped to a bench for finishing off. It's a piece of cake. Advantage is: you get sanitary, skookum looking, well finished parts that make you look like you know what you're doing. You'd be surprised how many fish boats are running around Alaska w/levers and bellcranks sawed out on the dock and spun into place while underway. I assume you've got your own hole punches & collection of flat stock gasket material. For "goop", I prefer blue RTV, just like Catapiller uses when assembling their engines. Don't let this "plate material application" slow you down! Find a machine shop or salvage yard, get some aluminum, and get to it. Coat your parts w/Krylon, screw'em down, stand back and grin. Good Luck! JRE