For an organ restoration project I'm in the midst of I need to brad nail some small brass plates in place to reinforce a cloth hinge. When they built it originally the area would have been accessible, now that the chest has been glued together I need to figure out how to sneak them into a space an inch or so wide and recessed by 1-4 inches. I do have good left-right clearance- the hinges are essentially at the bottom of a slot.
The perfect tool would be a ~6" piece of steel rod, drilled at the end to accept the brad without wobbling too much and a magnet to hold it in place until the nail is set. Once I get it 3/4 of the way in I can drive it home with a regular nail set. Does such a thing exist as a commercial tool?
Alternately any advice as to how to drill a tiny hole in the end of a rod? The smallest drills I have are 1/16th (which would be a fairly sloppy fit) and all I've succeeded in doing is breaking them off trying to drill into steel. Obviously I am not a machinist! I suppose brass or aluminum would hold up for the few dozen nails in question and would be easier to drill.
The wire brads are 0.035", a shade over 1/32".