Chris
I did what you did. I used a solid brass rod, .032" diameter. I flattened the ends with a 1/4" diameter pin punch. I laid the rod on a stainless steel plate (I just happen to have one), taped the rod down so it won't move and then placed the pin punch over the end of it. I then wacked the punch with a ball peen hammer. The round edge of the punch gave the desirable natural transition from round to flat. I then trimmed off the excess flat region, and rounded the outboard edges.
For the nut, I did it two ways. One was to drill a .015" diameter hole, solder in a phosphor bronze rod, and then file it until I got a suitable nut shaped contour. The other was to use an Archer Rivet. The latter was a whole lot easier, and much less stressful, as I did not have to worry about any solder joints coming loose.
In retrospect, I should have drilled the .015" diameter hole first, then solder the bar, and then drill out the hole (if it filled up with solder). I would have then used Grandt Line or Tichy NBW castings.
