Feather Pens

[LMD]

I recently purchased my very first pen - a feather quill pen from Coles. Hand assembled in Italy.

I know that fountain pens nowadays are straightforward - and almost always....featherless.

However, I do love the drama of the feather ....I'm just not sure if it is something that will perform as lovely as some people speak of very meticulously engineered fountain pens.

Has anyone here ever written with the feather quill pen (from Coles)...any tips (so to speak)?

lmd

[Paddler]

I don't understand the description of your pen, LMD. The word "assembled" has me a bit befuddled, as well as your reference to fountain pens being "almost always....featherless."

 

I have made many quill pens. You usually begin by cutting all (or nearly all) the barbs (the feathery bits) off of the quill. The barbs seriously get in the way when you are trying to hold the quill properly. Then you use a pen knife to cut a nib on the end of the quill. There are sites on the Internet that can show you exactly how to do all this.

 

As far a performance goes, I would advise sticking with the modern fountain pen. This is one area where the modern invention is a whole lot better than the old one. Some calligraphers use quill pens, but that is a long and a dusty road to travel.

 

Paddler

[LMD]

Thank you so much for your response! I should clarify ....the pen is a fountain pen with the feather attached. It is not a "real" quill pen...meaning the nib is not part of the feather.

You can see this style of pen here:

http://www.goldspot.com/colescalligraphy_pens.html

 

It is from Coles of London but they say it is assembled in Italy. Meaning the pewter NIB is attached to the feather portion of the body.

I was asking if anyone has used THIS kind of fountain pen, and if it compares to the fountain pens that do not have this dramatic extension attached to the nib

I love the flare of this style of pen, but didn't know if I should expect to not perform as well as the more "serious looking" fountain pens. As I mentioned the nib here is Pewter....I purchased it for it's look primarily, but it seemed like Coles made nice pens as well....Hoping for the best.

As well, purchased an antique pen holder. Very excited about the whole set up!

 

Thoughts?

LMD

 

I don't understand the description of your pen, LMD. The word "assembled" has me a bit befuddled, as well as your reference to fountain pens being "almost always....featherless."

 

I have made many quill pens. You usually begin by cutting all (or nearly all) the barbs (the feathery bits) off of the quill. The barbs seriously get in the way when you are trying to hold the quill properly. Then you use a pen knife to cut a nib on the end of the quill. There are sites on the Internet that can show you exactly how to do all this.

 

As far a performance goes, I would advise sticking with the modern fountain pen. This is one area where the modern invention is a whole lot better than the old one. Some calligraphers use quill pens, but that is a long and a dusty road to travel.

 

Paddler

 

[ANM]

Those appear to be dip pens rather than fountain pens. I suppose any dip pen will work in the quill holder.. unless it is an off standard size. It won't write for very long without needing to be dipped often and there is always the possibility that it will blob and splotch if you get it too full of ink when you dip it.

[limesally]

It is from Coles of London but they say it is assembled in Italy. Meaning the pewter NIB is attached to the feather portion of the body.

I was asking if anyone has used THIS kind of fountain pen, and if it compares to the fountain pens that do not have this dramatic extension attached to the nib

I love the flare of this style of pen, but didn't know if I should expect to not perform as well as the more "serious looking" fountain pens. As I mentioned the nib here is Pewter....I purchased it for it's look primarily, but it seemed like Coles made nice pens as well....Hoping for the best.

As well, purchased an antique pen holder. Very excited about the whole set up

 

It's beautiful and I hope you enjoy using it. From the picture, it looks to be a dip pen - are you actually dipping the nib into a bottle of ink, or are you filling an ink reservoir inside the pen?

 

[bizerkel]

I'd be interested in hearing about how well the pewter nib holds up to use - in my experience pewter is a very soft metal, with a low yield point, meaning it will bend permanently at relatively low force.

 

What are the flex properties of the nib like?

 

 

[dcwaites]

I'd be interested in hearing about how well the pewter nib holds up to use - in my experience pewter is a very soft metal, with a low yield point, meaning it will bend permanently at relatively low force.

 

What are the flex properties of the nib like?

I think the pen holder part of the pen is made of pewter, with a normal dip nib inserted. I couldn't tell from the pictures what sort of nib it is, but D. Leonardt still make a range of stainless steel nibs for normal writing, as compared to calligraphy.

 

 

[wykpenguin]

Since this post about feather decorated dip-pens popped-up, I would like to know if any FPN-ers cut their own quills.

 

I cut one a couple of years ago but it couldn't write more than one line (~10 words) and big feathers are hard to find.

Edited October 24, 2008 by wykpenguin

[wednesday_mac]

Since this post about feather decorated dip-pens popped-up, I would like to know if any FPN-ers cut their own quills.

 

I cut one a couple of years ago but it couldn't write more than one line (~10 words) and big feathers are hard to find.

 

Curing and cutting quills is its own art. You can try it with turkey or goose feathers, and there are instructions on the web. Videos on YouTube as well. I think a few here have cured their own, but I can't remember what thread it was in - I suspect the Master Calligrapher's thread.

 

I never got further in the instructions than, "Heat the sand in a pan on the stove, then plunge the end of the quill into the sand. When the quill is clear, it's cured." Yeah, right. Hah. I have a lot of play sand left over from that experiment if anyone wants some. It's something I think you need to learn from a master, right at their elbow to do it properly.

 

I have written with a quill pen on real parchment - my calligraphy instructor in college cut his own and had bags full of goose feathers in his office, delivered compliments of a student who lived on a local farm. Since the birds moulted twice a year, he had ample opportunity to collect them. So he let us play with his quills. They were good for much more than ten words. I suspect the quill you wrote with wasn't hardened/cured properly?

 

The goose quill I used (sans all feathers) was frighteningly smooth on the parchment. I don't think I'll ever be worthy of writing like a 15th-century scribe, but it was fun at the time. And then, humbled, I went back to my Speedball nibs and plastic holders and hot-pressed watercolor paper.

[Titivillus]

No I would either use a cut quill or a fountain pen not a combination yet.

 

Kurt

[LMD]

It's a dipper OLD school for sure!

 

It is from Coles of London but they say it is assembled in Italy. Meaning the pewter NIB is attached to the feather portion of the body.

I was asking if anyone has used THIS kind of fountain pen, and if it compares to the fountain pens that do not have this dramatic extension attached to the nib

I love the flare of this style of pen, but didn't know if I should expect to not perform as well as the more "serious looking" fountain pens. As I mentioned the nib here is Pewter....I purchased it for it's look primarily, but it seemed like Coles made nice pens as well....Hoping for the best.

As well, purchased an antique pen holder. Very excited about the whole set up

 

It's beautiful and I hope you enjoy using it. From the picture, it looks to be a dip pen - are you actually dipping the nib into a bottle of ink, or are you filling an ink reservoir inside the pen?

 

[LMD]

I will let you know as soon as I receive it.

They offer it in brass, as well.

Should I get a brass nib?

Actually, I think the pen I picked comes in a set with three nibs of different metals....It will be interesting to experiment.

 

I'd be interested in hearing about how well the pewter nib holds up to use - in my experience pewter is a very soft metal, with a low yield point, meaning it will bend permanently at relatively low force.

 

What are the flex properties of the nib like?

 

[LMD]

Fabulous! Thanks for the....tip

 

I'd be interested in hearing about how well the pewter nib holds up to use - in my experience pewter is a very soft metal, with a low yield point, meaning it will bend permanently at relatively low force.

 

What are the flex properties of the nib like?

I think the pen holder part of the pen is made of pewter, with a normal dip nib inserted. I couldn't tell from the pictures what sort of nib it is, but D. Leonardt still make a range of stainless steel nibs for normal writing, as compared to calligraphy.

 

[LMD]

"Paddler" above seems to have done it before ....you may want to 'knock on his door'.

 

Since this post about feather decorated dip-pens popped-up, I would like to know if any FPN-ers cut their own quills.

 

I cut one a couple of years ago but it couldn't write more than one line (~10 words) and big feathers are hard to find.

 

[Paddler]

Sorry for the confusion, LMD. I had not seen a pen quite like that one before. It looks like a dip pen. I use dippers a lot to post articles to my journals. The one in the picture should be great fun and very useful. If you don't like the nibs it comes with, be advised that there are literally thousands of different types of steel nibs available. Most of them will probably fit your holders.

 

Before you dip one of the new nibs the first time, you have to remove the anti-rust coating. If you don't remove the coating, the ink won't coat the nib properly and will cause skipping and blobbing. Alcohol, dish detergent, lacquer thinner, lighter fluid all seem to work well for this. If the ink beads up on the nib, your nib is still coated and will misbehave. The ink should coat the nib evenly on both the front and back surfaces. A fine-pointed nib, properly coated with ink, can sometimes write a whole line before needing another dip. A nib that writes a thicker line will have to be dipped more often.

 

Enjoy your new pen!

 

Paddler

[LMD]

YEAH!

And, as I read your informative reply, I had a feeling you were a virgo - the precision and particular detail of your suggestion was something I related to.

Then I checked your profile and, low and behold, we have THE SAME BIRTH DATE! Minus the years...but September 12th we share.

It's a special date - not many understand or get the meticulous nature of our personalities. And when they do, they become great friends, no?

Cheers,

LMD

 

Sorry for the confusion, LMD. I had not seen a pen quite like that one before. It looks like a dip pen. I use dippers a lot to post articles to my journals. The one in the picture should be great fun and very useful. If you don't like the nibs it comes with, be advised that there are literally thousands of different types of steel nibs available. Most of them will probably fit your holders.

 

Before you dip one of the new nibs the first time, you have to remove the anti-rust coating. If you don't remove the coating, the ink won't coat the nib properly and will cause skipping and blobbing. Alcohol, dish detergent, lacquer thinner, lighter fluid all seem to work well for this. If the ink beads up on the nib, your nib is still coated and will misbehave. The ink should coat the nib evenly on both the front and back surfaces. A fine-pointed nib, properly coated with ink, can sometimes write a whole line before needing another dip. A nib that writes a thicker line will have to be dipped more often.

 

Enjoy your new pen!

 

Paddler

 

[jbb]

YEAH!

And, as I read your informative reply, I had a feeling you were a virgo - the precision and particular detail of your suggestion was something I related to.

Then I checked your profile and, low and behold, we have THE SAME BIRTH DATE! Minus the years...but September 12th we share.

It's a special date - not many understand or get the meticulous nature of our personalities. And when they do, they become great friends, no?

Cheers,

LMD

What!?! Sept. 12.... me too!!!!

 

Are Sept. 12th b'days unusually inclined to dip pens???????????

Edited October 25, 2008 by jbb

[Paddler]

When someone asks what sign I was born under, I usually say "Falling Rock".

 

12 September is a good day for dip pen users, huh? Someone should tell a sociologist; maybe we could get our names in a monograph in a prestigious journal - or a newspaper. Journalist writes about journalers in a journal. Would that be a double Bertrand Russel paradox, like listing the table of contents in the table of contents and the index?

 

Paddler

[jbb]

When someone asks what sign I was born under, I usually say "Falling Rock".

 

12 September is a good day for dip pen users, huh? Someone should tell a sociologist; maybe we could get our names in a monograph in a prestigious journal - or a newspaper. Journalist writes about journalers in a journal. Would that be a double Bertrand Russel paradox, like listing the table of contents in the table of contents and the index?

 

Paddler

Table of Contents

.....Table of Contents

..........Table of Contents

...............Table of Contents

........................Table of Contents

 

You're blowing my mind.

Edited October 25, 2008 by jbb

[LMD]

We should come up with a theory on why us 09.12'rs love dips.

They are far more difficult to master and far more romantic.

I'm sure we can come up with something.

Are we all micro-managers?? :roflmho:

 

When someone asks what sign I was born under, I usually say "Falling Rock".

 

12 September is a good day for dip pen users, huh? Someone should tell a sociologist; maybe we could get our names in a monograph in a prestigious journal - or a newspaper. Journalist writes about journalers in a journal. Would that be a double Bertrand Russel paradox, like listing the table of contents in the table of contents and the index?

 

Paddler