Remove/ grind rivet in handle.
Select a shifter size that has jaws to suit your lip depth you desire. 6" or 8" usually.2 pairs work best. Pliers dont work well for this. Close the jaws down to the shovels thickness 1.8mm say.
chalk the depth line down each side, aprox 15mm.
At foot lip end, cut 90deg V wedge out at line point.
secure shovel in a vice. With fold line horizontal at top. Heat the line with gas, mapp gas work fine (vented area, toxic stuff)
no need to get it up to cherry red heat level, slide shifter over edge and start to fold lip. Working along 8mm at a time.
Dont try to fold it up to 90deg in one go. Work the fold line up evenly. The small verticle imperfections from the shifter can be beaten out later.
Repeat of course for the other side.
A peice of 2mm black steel can be cut and shaped up for the back enclosure. This helps for rear spillage and great for a wider foot grip if needed.
After welding this up, now its time to reinforce the underside where most shovels fail.... the frog. See illustrations from link above.
Now with your heavy wall alloy tube. Cut a V wedge down one end to a simula length to the tapper of the wooden handle.
This maybe about 10mm at the top down to zero over 100mm.
Beat to close up gap, test fit, compare to wooden handle taper. Due to superior strength of the alloy hande, it dose not need to be as far in the throat of the shovel as the timber handle.
upon shaping the tube to close you will notice it takes on a simula off set taper as the wooden handle.
Re-slotting of the V wedge will probably be needed to get a good fit.
Once happy with the fit, drift the handle in tight, compress the handle throat in a vice to close up tight. Weld a couple of small beads along joint.
Secured with a couple 4.8mm rivets.
Refit D handle grip if needed.
Shovels are made of a harder steel than general black steel.
If you try to fold this steel cold it will generally crack along fold line. And continue to crack even after welding it up again.
The heating method reduces this hardness, but the strength is regained by the 90deg ip you have made.
I have since removed a large portion of the over lay cup on that shovel in the link above. Back to about a 25mm lip over the top. Not really needed at all.
