Success! well, sort of. 

I've got one prototype made, ready for testing. Figure I'll throw it in the toolbag, try it out for a while, see if I have any notes. 

The action of the base pliers is so much better than the KP-2s, but I can't take credit for that piece of the puzzle; The "Masterbilt" or "Masterbuilt" pliers that I bought 2 of are allegedly mfg'd by Irwin, who I believe makes Vise-Grips. I originally ordered 2 Vise-Grips from Tooltron Industries, who claimed to offer a bulk discount on Vise-Grips, but after I placed my order they emailed saying they were actually out of stock, suggested substituting these. And they feel great in the hand.

I'm not going to worry about nickel plating the heat affected zone yet; I'm pretty sure I'll grow out of these or want to make some changes before they rust, but nickel electroplating is still the long-term goal