Need help patching my Mangos server. Info inside.

[Kouhai]

Ok.. i'm going to try and make this as detailed as possible. If there is extraneous information, please keep in mind this is a bothersome problem and i want to help you help me as much as possible. I understand my formatting may look funny but it'll be easier to search and understand my problem(s).

Bit of Background
A week ago I decided I wanted to host my own server so a few friends and I could play. I am currently trying to ADD things to the server (weapons, armor, what have you) so that my friends and I can 2-3 man HC 25 content.

About the Server
This is a MaNGOS server.
It is a 3.3.5a patch server.
I downloaded this thing called the Single Player Project which allows "bot" players to inhabit the world. More info on that here:
The Launcher version is 1.2.2.4259

Database for server
Obviously, the server has an accessible database and I use HeidiSQL in order to access it.

The problem
I cannot add custom entries in the item_template table for new items with new given stats. These will show up in game as question marks in my inventory, when I equip them I cannot use my skill as they give me the whole and give me the error "You are required to use a melee weapon" .
I understand there is a fix for this.. which is to just replace an already existing weapon. I'd rather not do that as it uses the existing weapon's skin even if i set the skin to something else.
I've added the custom entry in the item.dbc file but it does not seem to work.
I read somewhere that I have to patch my game and I did using this guide:
[GUIDE] How to Extract and Create MoPaQ (.MPQ) Archives/Patches

for some reason however, it did not work. The patch did not load even though I did what it asked me, and the weapon remained a question mark in my inventory.

What I would like from you guys
A reference to a very detailed guide on how to correctly patch a MaNGOS server. I have searched for DAYS on how to do this but it seems that I can't find a topic past 2010.
Maybe someone could post in elementary detail how to do this from start to finish. The start being the creation of the weapon in the DB and the end being its full usability ingame. I could take this model and hopefully apply it to armor.

Problem 2
I cannot seem to be able to correctly edit spells.
For example: Rogues in 3.3.5a has an ability called "Hunger for Blood" which lasts 1 minute, I would like to make this last 2 minutes.. maybe 3.
The way i've read to do this is to edit the spell.dbc file, line 40 or 41 depending on the editor.
In line 40/41 the reference number is 0 for that skill, which is not an entry in the Spellduration.dbc even though it is the correct id, given as it is the only that shows up as [Hunger for Blood](talent) when i type: .lookup spell Hunger for Blood.

There is also another entry which i can .learn, which has an entry of "3" for row 40, but upon modifying row 3 in the SpellDuration.dbc, the game does not recognize the change.

What I would like from you guys
An in depth guide that tells me how to correctly edit spells on a Mangos server and then patch them into the game itself. As in the previous, a great reference will do just fine or if you can take the time to post it yourself, i would LOVE that. If you can post something, again, from beginning (editing in the spell.dbc) to end (using it ingame) that would be tremendously helpful.

Finally A question
For most cases i see people telling me to convert .dbc to .csv before editing them. I use myDBCeditor.exe in order to edit them. Is there a reason to do this other than to be able to read the file? Thank you.

I understand this is a lot to ask from you guys, but ive combed the internet for the past 3 days and have only found scraps on how to do this. If at all possible, I'd like this answered just so other people who have the same question have a good reference as well. Thank you guys very much and I look forward to hearing your replies.