I would like to make an authentic old fashioned rug hook, but can't find directions. 

Here is how to do it: 

1. The right wood for the handle. 
Don't use just any old wood for the handle. You'll need a hard wood or almost hard wood (walnut, oak and birch work best). *Never* use pines or other soft woods, they will split out! My old hook is walnut. The grain in the wood needs to be straight and the wood needs to be dry so that it doesn't split. The piece that you start with should be 1 inch (2.5cm) square and about 3 inches long. Drill a small (1/8 to 1/16 inch) hole in the center of one end. (If you drive the nail into the wood without a pilot hole, the wood will split.) The hole should be at least a 1/2 inch deep. You can find hardwood dowels these days, and a 1 inch dowel will save a lot of carving time. 

2. Carving the handle. 
Round the corners, and taper the wood to about1/2 inch round at the end with the hole drilled. Carving hardwoods takes a very sharp blade (keep a sharpening stone nearby or for more modern carvers an XACTO carving knife with curved XACTO blades work great). I also keep a handy supply of bandaids nearby. If you aren't good with a knife, use a wood rasp. It takes longer and purists would object, but it is not quite so hazardous. When the shape of the handle feels good in your hand, sand it smooth. Use 100 grit sandpaper to start and finish the handle by sanding with 200 grit. Wipe all of the sanding dust off with a *dry* coarse cloth. Oil the handle with linseed oil and let dry at least overnight. 

3. Fashioning the hook. 
Old nails had four flat sides. These nails were a bit wider at one end, tapering to the other, and they didn't have a 'head'. Old nails weren't round and even like today's nails. The wider end of the nail was used to make the hook since there was more metal to work with. Clamp the nail in a vise and use a metal file to file the end of the hook to the right size and then file a point on the end for the hook. Then file in the 'V' part of the hook. (If you don't do this in the right order, you'll probably just break the end off the nail.) Old hooks didn't have an inset notch, the edge toward the hook was at more of a 90 degree angle, with a taper toward the handle. (They aren't as easy to use as modern hooks with the deeper notch.) If you can't find an authentic old fashioned nail, use an eight penny (8d) or sixteen penny (16d) finishing nail, and file the hook from the 'head' of the nail. Upscale hookers had hooks made with a brass rod instead of the iron nails. Brass wasn't quite as hard as iron, and the rods were already round so filing a hook in the end was easier. If you can find brass rod, you'll have to file a hook on one end and a point on the other end to go into the handle. (Hint: look at the hardware store for repair kits for toilet tank fittings, since mostly brass rods are used to connect to the float valve. Just cut off the threaded ends.) 

4. Putting the hook together. 
Place the hook vertically in a vise, with the hook part down. Place the handle with the hole on the end of the nail. Make sure you are holding them perfectly straight, and then *tap* the handle gently onto the hook, using a wooden mallet. (Don't pound the hook into the handle or you'll ruin it!) If the handle "fights" take it off and drill a little bit bigger pilot hole. Don't "fight back" with the handle or you'll split the wood. The handle should be tapped down at least a half inch onto the hook. (You should be able to feel when it wants to stop at the end of the pilot hole.) 

5. Reinforce the end of the handle. 
Remember that when you are using a rug hook, you'll be exerting leverage on the hook which will tend to want to split the wooden handle. This is especially true of handmade hooks which have fairly large shanks. You need to reinforce the wood where the shank enters it. The frontier way to do this was to use narrow strips of wet rawhide, wrapped around the handle and the ends of the rawhide tucked underneath the wrap. When the rawhide dries it shrinks and holds the shank and handle firmly together. (After the rawhide dries, it can be varnished for a smoother surface.) You can also reinforce the joint by wrapping it tightly with heavy linen thread or with a fine metal wire. 

Well, that's it!