I let my spade sit in concrete mix water for 2 hours and the handle got all loose

Was mixing up a quick batch of quikrete to patch a crack in my driveway last Saturday. I left my square point spade sitting in the bucket of water I was using to rinse between mixes. By the time I remembered it, the wood handle had swollen up and the metal part was wobbling like crazy. Had to let it dry out for 3 days and then tap a new wedge in to tighten it back up. Anyone else ruin a tool handle by forgetting it in water? I feel like a dummy lol.

3 comments

3 Comments

reesemoore16d ago

My old man taught me that trick with the wedge, saved my spade last summer when I did the same thing mixing stucco. Letting it dry out fully before pounding in a new wedge is key or it'll just loosen up again when the wood shrinks back.

stella_murray18d ago

Back when I was helping my old man pour a patio slab back in '08, my brother left his framing hammer in the mix water and the head flew off on the second swing, dented the fresh concrete real bad. Actually @angelar57 your story about the hose hits home too, I got a cheap garden hose that swells up every time I coil it wet and now it's got these kinks that won't come out. Funny how water just finds a way to mess with anything made of wood or rubber, like it's got a personal vendetta against tool handles and hoses. I ended up having to chisel out the dented concrete and patch it, took forever for a stupid mistake. That wedge trick you did with the spade saved you a trip to the hardware store for sure.

angelar5718d ago

Concrete mix water is honestly the worst for wood handles, it's like they just soak it all up and go completely loose. Man, I've done this with a hammer handle before, left it sitting in a pail of water overnight and the head was rattling the next morning. It's funny how the same thing happens with garden hoses too, you leave them in a bucket of water and the rubber swells up so bad they won't even coil right. I think it's just one of those lessons you gotta learn the hard way with tools, like never using a screwdriver as a pry bar or using a wrench as a hammer. At least you caught it before the handle split all the way, that's a total pain to fix and usually ends up in the trash.