Need suggestions

[HeelSpur]

I'm trying to take this apart and the nut just spins and spins like its stripped and probably is.
Was gonna try prying on the nut while loosening but there is no room between the nut and handle.
Any suggestions?

[Papaw]

It "should" thread off. Hard to believe it got stripped and won't slip off.

[HeelSpur]

It "should" thread off. Hard to believe it got stripped and won't slip off.

Tried both directions and all it does is spin, I'm out of ideas.

[john k]

Clamp the (nut) in a vise.  With the wrench pointing up.   Attach something like a comealong to the wrench, and up to the ceiling,  put tension on it while turning. 

[rusty]

Does the rod spin with the nut? Or does the nut turn and the rod stay put?
The rod sometimes breaks inside the handle.
I see dents in the end of the rod, so would guess someone got tired of the nut coming loose and peaned the rod, in which case the threads will strip before the nut unscrews :(

[scottg]

OK first why are you taking it apart? Do you really need to?
 
 Second if you really need it off just take a grinder and take 1/16" off the end of the nut and the rod both.

  When you put it back together cut one more 1/16" off the nut, but not the rod,
 which will now poke though, so you can pein it tight again.
 
 Clean up both the top of the nut and end of the rod and blue them (cold gun blue).
 Then just leave it laying around, and occasionally knock off the rust that forms with steel wool. It will look old again pretty quick.       
 
     yours Scott

[HeelSpur]

Wanting to clean up those hard to get to places and the nut spins w/o the rod moving.

[Lewill2]

A lot of the handle nuts on the early wrenches were left hand threads. Clamp, pull and turn.

[bear_man]

Seems like one could drill out the end of the shaft AND the inside of the nut simultaneously, taking great care to find the perfect center-punch point to drill. Thread the nut to the new inside diameter (lotsa meat around the hole in the nut), find a (rusty) bolt with the new diameter and threads, then weld the new/old shaft to the old one well inside the wooden handle, thinking hard about the desired finished length. Maybe some old, dirty grease buffed into the "new" rusted bolt-end would reproduce the appropriate patina? (Sorry, I'm big on invisible repair/restoration when possible and I promise not to tell.) Nice wrench, by the way, and best wishes.

[humber2]

Do we know for sure that the "nut" was ever threaded?

I'll guess that the stem is swaged.

Would only need a shallow drilling to remove the swage.