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Making Hook Rugs |
To make a rug hook, you first of all need the
proper wood handle. Make sure to use hard woods
such as walnut, oak or birch. Do not use soft
woods, such as pine, as the soft woods will
split. The grain in the hard wood must be
straight and the wood should be dry so that it
won't split. Start with a piece that is 1 inch
(2.5 cm) square and about 3 inches long. Drill a
hole about 1/8 to 1/16 inch in the center of one
end. Do not drive a nail into the wood without a
pilot hole as the wood will split. The hole
should be 1/2 inch deep, or more. You can save
carving time by using a 1 inch hardwood dowel.
You need to carve the handle next. First, round
the corners and taper the wood to approximately
1/2 inch round at the end with the hole drilled.
You need a very sharp blade to carve the
hardwoods. The Xacto carving knife with curved
blades works great. (Keep a supply of bandaids
nearby.) Use a wood rasp if you are not used to
working with a knife, as it won't be as
hazardous, although, it does take longer to
carve. Sand the handle so that it is smooth.
Start out with 100 grit sandpaper then finish
the handle with 200 grit. Wipe all of the
sanding dust off with a dry coarse cloth, such
as a tack cloth. Then oil the handle with
linseed oil. Let the handle dry at least
overnight.
Use old nails to fashion the hook. The old nails
are the type with four flat sides. They are
wider at one end, then taper to the other
without a head. The old nails are not round and
even like the nails used today. There is more
metal at the wider end of the nail so it was
used to make the hook. Clamp the nail in a vise
and file the end of the hook with a metal file
to the proper size, then file a point on the end
for the hook. Then file in the "V" portion of
the hook. These steps must be done in the proper
order or you could break the end off of the
nail.
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