Hello,
I have a lever which controls an analog axis in a DIY HOTAS project (like the throttle of an aircraft). So far so well, everything works just fine. I just have trouble getting it to not flop around too much. You see, I'm good at making axes rotate easily, not in artificially making them resist movement.

To put it in more technical/mechanical terms: there is a 8mm axis, supported in ball bearings, that is turning quite easily right now. I want to somehow brake it so it still runs smoothly, but needs a noticeable force to turn at all. It should stay where I put it (even with its own considerable weight plus that of my hand resting on it), and when I turn it, it should have as little stick-slip
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stick-slip_phenomenon as possible. It should turn buttery smooth, just with resistance.
My current solution is to clamp it between two pieces of material with some bits of jeans fabric glued on. This ... kind of works, just not very well. Hard to adjust, and seems to get less tight over (not too much) time.
Is there an "official" and/or more intelligent way to do something like this?
As for space constraints: there are a few free cm in every directon around the axis, not too much, but not too tight either.
Thanks for any hints!