I would suggest a U-Bolt from Home Depot or your local Hardware Store as at the link below. Remove some metal to get a tight fit or let it lap if needed. What is the round metal above the blade used for

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Channel-Master-Universal-U-Bolt-and-Nest-Assembly-CM-9017/203763054

When "stick" tools get loose, get out the five gallon bucket, fill with water and immerse the loose or "head" end and leave for a day or so. The wood will swell and you'll bring the tool back to normal. If you really want it tight, get a hammer or axe wedge and drive it into the end of the handle to tighten it prior to soaking.

Loger also makes a good point about a U-Bolt.

Not familiar with that tool or it's use. Looks like it may have a rivet above the head. If you have a flat metal surface (anvil equivalent) use that and a hammer, ideally, a ball "peen" hammer to tighten up the rivet if it's loosened.

Also on care of stick tools, every couple of years I pick a nice sunny day and take rags and heavily "wash" the handles with linseed oil and let sun dry.

Ev

Good Tip And Too Much Time “On Our Hands” Exmar! Technology took me away from sealing/swelling wooden Hog Troughs. LOL!

Yep, I remember "helping" Dad build hog troughs and then soaking them so they wouldn't leak. :-)

Thanks for then help exmar and loger...I have had issues with the metal rusting pretty badly after just working with the tool in a light rain in the past, wont the immersion into a bucket of water cause rusting again? And about the placements of the wedge, I am guessing you are talking about a small wedge of wood snugged into the area where the metal head wraps around the wood? If not where would the wedge go? Thanks again in advance!

From the pic it appears the handle taper doesn't fit the shank well. W/o seeing the other side if there is a rivet, I'll say to drive the handle further thru the shank so it spreads the shank and fits tighter. Then drill a new hole thru the handle and bolt it.

Mike

Wooden wedges usually go into a pre sawn split in the handle, think of axes and hammers. I was talking about a metal one.

Yes, there could be rusting, however, then you use it and the rust is rubbed off, give it a light coat of oil prior to storing.

Here are some more pictures....I am more of a gardener and not a tool officianado so some of these terms you all are using are like me throwing out the genus and specific epithet of a particular plant, it's a little fuzzy for me. Anyways, the handle is a T handle and it is not a full size tool so beating it into submission probably isn't the best course of action.

Thank you for all the help. Soaking method worked very well, much tighter now! Going to oil and scrub with wire brush to get rust off before storing. Thanks again!

Nothing's new except the history we don't know?