Heirloom shovel

Earlier in the year a shovel which I have been using for thirty years, and which belonged to my father for at least thirty years before that, broke. The shaft eventually gave way after much use over the years. Although I bought a replacement I still thought the old shovel was worth mending. 

As it happens, later in the year the shaft of a pitchfork snapped. This we had bought new a mere five years ago. However, it did mean a potential new handle for the shovel conveniently became available. When I had a bonfire last week I put the remains of the shovel in the fire to burn out the stump of the shaft stuck in the socket of the shovel. That worked very well. 

Today I finished the shovel's restoration. Some Hammarite for the metal shovel end and some wood preservative for the shaft, which also required a bit of re-shaping to fit snugly, and it is almost as good as new. As the replacement shaft came from a pitch fork I was also able to take advantage of the opportunity to make the shovel handle a little longer than standard to better suit my height. We are now a two-shovel household and good for another thirty years.