Western W36 Loose Assembly

[hawaiianhawk]

Yesterday I picked up an old Western W36 hunting knife at the local flea market. The blade is still in factory condition other than some slight patination, and the handle is still in good shape. However, the entire handle assembly, from the guard to the pommel and everything in between, is quite loose and wobbly. The knife is a stick tang with a threaded rod at the butt, and it seems as though a threaded brass tube was screwed down and then cut off flush with the pommel to tighten everything down. The pictures probably say it better than I can.

The brass piece doesn't seem cut for a hex wrench, or screwdriver of any kind. I can only assume it was tight from the factory and wasn't made to be adjusted. Anybody have any input? If it comes down to it i can take it apart and epoxy everything together. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[hawaiianhawk]

I managed to tighten the nut using my Leatherman, but now the nut isn't flush with the pommel. I had to overtighten slightly to keep everything stable.

 

[TWBryan]

What kind of handle does it have? If it's leather you can rub in mineral oil that will tighten things back up. If not your first step should be finding a brass pommel nut the right size to fit that pommel.