The Old Quill Pen

Quill pens may appear outdated and foreign, requiring more practice to use than modern pens. While this may be true, quills offer great versatility as a writing instrument and should never be discounted as writing tools!

Reed pens became widely popular around the 6th century and were dominant until 19th century when quill pens, composed of bird feathers with capillary action to store ink, overtook them as the go-to writing implements.

History

Pencils were first developed as writing instruments during antiquity; without their invention and use in writing literature would not exist today.

Pens made of reeds were first used in Egypt around 3000 BCE, constructed from Juncus maritimus rush, found along the Nile. Reeds would then be cut and split to form pen nibs.

Quill pens became the preferred form of writing instrument in 600AD when they replaced reed pens in use at that time. Made from primary flight feathers such as goose or swan feathers (although other types were sometimes employed), quill pens used primary flight feathers from various birds as primary flight feathers for writing instruments.

Capillary action draws ink from the reservoir to the nib to form each stroke, making this process very precise and requiring great skill to master. Lewis Waterman is widely credited with developing the first practical fountain pen using gravity-fed capillary action; later he devised a more leakproof model which eventually led to modern-day fountain pens we use today.

Materials

Quill pens use capillary action to draw ink from the hollow part of feathers through their calamus (the hollow area) up into their point, typically made out of goose, swan or turkey feathers but sometimes also featuring crow, owl and hawk feathers for use. They typically come cut to mimic traditional pen nib shapes with small slots or slots to control ink flow.

Curing is the process of treating the shaft of a feather before immersing it in ink – this may involve placing it in hot ashes or boiling water, among others.

Assembling a quill pen can be challenging; it requires time and patience in order to create one that writes. But this project can be enjoyed by the entire family as an excellent way to practice calligraphy skills. Quill pens were once popular writing tools until mass metal pen production came along in 1820 – they were used for signing important documents like Magna Carta and Declarations of Independence!

Design

From antiquity through to the 19th century, quill pens were the go-to writing instruments. Along with them came ink – two essential ingredients without which literature would never have existed.

Feather quills are constructed using primary flight feathers from birds that have been shed during annual moulting, treated to form nibs at its tip while its hollow shaft acts as an ink reservoir, drawing ink through capillary action towards its point.

Quill pens were an improvement on reed or bamboo pens because their nib was better at holding its shape without frequent sharpening. Their thin form also made it more suitable for miniscule scripts and stroke perfection – calligraphers used these pens; even today artisans continue cutting feathers to craft quill pens as generations ago.

Function

Quill pens were once used as the dominant writing instrument until mass-production of metal pens began in the nineteenth century, though before this, people had used clay tablets, wax reed pens with ink on papyrus or animal skins as writing implements.

A quill is made from five outer feathers of a goose or swan’s wing that have been cut to point and assembled on an open shaft, leading to an end with a narrow slit used as nib. Wetted ink is then applied through capillary action through this narrow opening until reaching its destination: writing.

Quill pens feature flexible nibs that can be bent to form curves or angles, making them perfect for quick sketches by masters of drawing such as Pisanello, Michelangelo and Rembrandt. Their precise control can also be used with great precision when delineating manuscript pages with fine delineations; furthermore they hold their point much longer than reed pens do.