I like trenching shovels because they're sturdier and they get down into the gravel and between rocks better than a spoon-type.
I found a brand of wide trench shovel that is a bit wider than the Kodiak brand I've used over the years, but I eventually break the handles on even those trying to pry a rock loose that just won't budge. Sometimes it's bedrock that I'm trying to move, but due to murky water I "assume" it's just another stubborn rock. And, Snap! And Yes, I do use a tank bar for stubborn rocks, as well as a six foot pry bar, or a come-along, but sometimes I think something's gunna move when IT has a different point of view. You know that ROCK-PAPER-SIZZORS game we've all played at one time? Well, ROCK beats a WOOD handle.
Here, I've taken heavy galvanized pipe, cut a small slit about an eighth of an inch wide down the middle on one side, about seven inches long on one end and then pinched the pipe back together and drove it deep into the shovel blade neck. I secured it with a through pin as the old wood handle was secured.
Next, I took a top section of the broken shovel handle and ground one end down to fit inside the open end of the pipe, just enough to fit snugly into the pipe. Then I took my propane torch and burnt the wood and heated the end of the pipe and drove it deep into the pipe, then quenched the pipe to stop any further burning of the wood. I put the wood tip on the shovel to have a "user friendly" end to grab and to push on as I dig rather than the end of the pipe. I also go through a LOT of gloves, which I buy in bulk from Northern Industrial Supply (not Northern Tool), which are pretty darn cheap if you're buying a bunch of 'em. And, if you ask 'em real nice, they'll send you a sample.
I then took my punch and made a number of marks on the top of the new pipe handle to better indicate which way's up as I dig in cloudy waters. I make the same kind of marks on my wood handles for the same reason. Nothin' worse than working the shovel in a hole only find out as you bring it up that the shovel blade is askew, dumping everything, and you just know that big nugget was gunna be in that load.
