Replacing end-peened cleaver handle

[Adam_B]

So, I ended up with an old, heavy and very rusty cleaver with a lathe-turned handle secured only by the tip of the tang being peened over a washer, sword-style. After removing the cracked handle and the rust there's still plenty of tang left, albeit heavily pitted. I am working with simple hand tools plus drill and dremel.

My options for a replacement are, as I see it:

1) Find someone with a lathe I can borrow, turn another handle in the same style (a couple of mm shorter since the original peen was ground off).
2) Single block handle, drilled to admit the tang and end-peened; shaped by hand rather than turned
3) Hidden-tang handle made from scales (morticed or box) epoxied in place, possibly with a hole drilled for a securing pin or two but not end-peened.
4) Handle made from scales, end-peened (will this even work without the scales breaking?)

Which of these would you go for? Are there any options I've missed? What materials would work well for a handle? And given I've not done a lot of this kind of thing before (just one knife, and that was a comparatively simple matter of making and fitting new scales for a full-width tang), is there anything else that you'd like to share?

Thanks,

Adam

 

[Crag the Brewer]

Pics would allow us to choose best option.

 

[Hengelo_77]

Option 2
Whatever material you like. Walnutwood or rosewood handles make good handles.

If the tang is wide enough you don't need to peen, you can drill a hole trough the tang and have a pin go trough it.

 

[Jason Fry]

2 and 3 are the best options IMO.