Nice, Jon! If we weren't several thousand miles apart, I'd offer you an old camera tripod with a boom that looks adaptable. (I bever throw away anything, even if it take years to find a use)

I get 'rubber things' from my hardware store, classified as different sized crutch tips. I use them as pressure devices on my lathe to keep from marring a surface. (Crutch tips are often better made than furniture leg covers)