Goose Quill Pen
Each quill pen is cut to replicate a classic pen nib and features a slit for ink flow, making them suitable for calligraphy lines of various widths and thicknesses. Trimming options exist so that fine points or broad calligraphy lines can be achieved.
Quill pens were an integral component of life during the Middle Ages and continued their popularity well into the 19th century; used to sign important documents such as Magna Carta and Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson even kept geese at Monticello solely to provide writing quills!
HISTORY
Quill pens were mankind’s primary writing tool until metal pens became widely produced during the 19th century, used for important documents like Magna Carta and Declaration of Independence.
Before the quill pen was invented, people wrote on parchment and vellum with styluses or reeds that did not hold their point very well, making it hard to produce fine lines. Quill pens were much simpler to use and were able to maintain their shape for extended periods.
Goose feather quills feature hollow shafts designed for storing ink, making them the ideal tool to use during writing sessions. Each quill is meticulously hand cut, shortened, and the barbs trimmed away to produce a nib that closely resembles that used on historical documents as well as contemporary ones created using similar methods by serious modern scribes. Furthermore, its lightweight construction means multiple words can be written without needing to redip for an ink refill, unlike steel-nibbed pens which need sharpening often!
CHARACTERISTICS & USES
Quill pens are writing instruments constructed from stiff-spined flight feathers found on large birds such as geese, swans and turkeys (though crow, hawk, owl and turkey feathers have also been utilized), which produced finer lines than hollow reed pens before mass-produced metal ones became widely available in the 19th century. Quill pens were commonly employed by monks, scholars and artists working on historical documents such as Magna Carta or Declarations of Independence.
To create goose feather pen nibs, their shaft must first be treated with hot ashes or other methods before trimming into an oval shape with a “pen knife.” After that step is complete, their point will be cut open using a “slit cutter,” yielding a nib that can either be formed into fine points for calligraphy or broad strokes of calligraphic ink.
Quill pens may initially feel scratchy until used a few times; with repeated use, their edges eventually smoothen out. As these pens require light pressure and can easily become damaged when handled carelessly, handling is important.
MATERIALS
Quill pens, made of stiff-spined flight feathers (the outermost feathers on bird wings), were once popular until metal pens became more widely used during the 19th century. Although making quill pens is simple, working with them requires patience.
For this project you’ll require either goose or turkey feathers; craft stores sell these types of feathers while hunters sometimes collect feathers from their game to sell or give away after moulting. In general, goose and swan feathers produce superior quills than any others.
Once you have an ideal feather in hand, cut it to your desired nib shape – pointed for traditional calligraphy or blunt for italic styles – before heating the pen to harden its tip; traditionally this was done using drawers but now more commonly microwaves are preferred. When pressure is placed upon it, this allows ink to flow more freely through. The tip should feature an opening that opens when pressurised allowing ink to freely flow outward.
FINISHING
Quill pens don’t always meet writers’ approval right out of the box; sometimes they require curing (also known as tempering). Curing hardens and stiffens feathers so they maintain their point better, giving you better writing performance. Curing techniques vary, from baking them in an oven or immersing them in hot sand or boiling water to name but a few.
feather is transformed into a nib by cutting a slit in its end and shaping its tip according to user preference, either curving to form a fine point or being chiseled down for calligraphic lines. While most quill pens use goose feathers as nibs, other feather types such as those from crow, hawk, turkey and owl feathers may also be used. When quill pens begin writing poorly this often indicates that its edges defining tines weren’t cut curved enough while its width just behind tip caused surface tensioned surface tensioned surface tension from ink cling onto curves instead of tines causing big blobs of ink spillout instead of staying put.
