LtS -

I've found that the plain old "tablespoons" - 6 for $1 from Wally World (I sneak in late at night so friends won't see me there) work just fine. Two steel pop-rivets up at the end of the handles. Although it's not recommended for structural work, a couple of good whacks with a ball-pien hammer smooths the rivets, and a pass on the buffing wheel makes it look nice.

The real key to making them sound decent is in the "bending in" to get the bowls aligned right, and with a proper gap. Too much gap makes them hard to play (but does make them louder). Too small a gap makes them pretty "dead." By proper "tuning" of the handle alignment you can make them so they're not too objectionable and provide a suitable "click" - more like a castenet - rather than the obnoxious "clang" you get from most of the "toy" ones found for sale.

John