Has anyone here ever used a quill pen?

August 29, 2008

Hello & Bonjour Fernan

Try this thread
https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...mp;#entry556026

(can't do links like some people)

I found it very satisfying & easy to do all you need is a sharp knife ie craft knife & trim till you get a reasonable point. There are methods for hardening the tip but I haven't tried them. I still have the quill knocking around & reckon a quill should be tried by everyone.

Crows Feather was often used by the working class back in the day while the hoypoly used more esoteric feathers (plus ca change)

Just do it

It's the dutching of the quills before cutting that is the real problem! I've a repro pen knife based on Geo. Washington's and have cut some then used them. Pretty much like a steel nib dip pen.

Kurt

August 29, 2008

I was reading one of those presidential pens threads recently, and the site usually linked to in those threads. Eagle quills were mentioned as a favorite of Abe Lincoln. I was curious- can you buy those? It'd be fun to try it out to see what the qualitative differences are. More/less flex, thicker walls, more/less ink retained, etc?

Eagle feathers are illegal to gather & possess in the US unless you're Indian and using them for religious ceromonies. So not a good idea to try writing with one! As for the other types I remember reading that some people preferred the left wing feathers of the goose so much that there was a price difference.

Kurt

August 29, 2008

I was reading one of those presidential pens threads recently, and the site usually linked to in those threads. Eagle quills were mentioned as a favorite of Abe Lincoln. I was curious- can you buy those? It'd be fun to try it out to see what the qualitative differences are. More/less flex, thicker walls, more/less ink retained, etc?

Eagle feathers are illegal to gather & possess in the US unless you're Indian and using them for religious ceromonies. So not a good idea to try writing with one! As for the other types I remember reading that some people preferred the left wing feathers of the goose so much that there was a price difference.

Kurt

In fact most birds of prey/migratory bird feathers are illegal to collect, even if you pick them from the ground. You can get a permit from the fish and wildlife service as well... but that's a bit more trouble than it's worth.

Turkey feathers might work well though.

August 29, 2008

Dear Paddler,

I am of the assumption, that for a right handed writer, the right side of the bird's wing feather cluster would be curved to the right.

I am not an expert on vintage writing, however, if there are left side quills, I am wondering if it would be an excellent choice for left handed writers. (?)

My father told me stories, that when his father began to write, it was forced upon them to write with the right hand. For those so inclined to be left handed, they were beaten into writing with the right hand.

Perhaps today, quills that bow, for left handed writers can be available now; the right or straighter quill feathers for the right handers.

Respectfully,
Maria

I am using quills now (last weekend and the weekend to come) at an American French and Indian War reenactment.

Quill making is definitely an art. Some would call it a black art. There are several places to go on the net for instructions on how to cut them. I definitely advise you to perform the extra steps to temper or harden the quill. If you don't, you will cut a nice nib on a feather shaft and begin writing with it. It will give you a nice, fine line. Then, after writing a few lines, the line it makes will become broader . . . and broader . . . and broader. By the time you reach the middle of the page, the tines will have splayed out and you will be making blobs. Time to cut a new nib. If you temper the shaft, using a Dutching tool or hot sand, the nib will last three or four times as long.

I am using Canada goose feathers that were molted and floating on a lake. Their quality varies. Some are thin-walled. Some are thick and flattened.

Depending on your handedness, you want feathers from the proper side of the bird. (I don't know which is which, as I am picking up molted feathers and don't know which way they curve when in place on the bird.) If you get them from the wrong side, they will be difficult to hold. When you hold one, you want the shaft to curve away from your hand. If they curve the other way, they will try to twist in your hand as you write. Further aggravation! :bonk:

Paddler

I believe one of the calligraphy supply vendors that sells uncut quills sells feathers that will fit lefthanders, but doesn't sell the precut quills for them (i.e., me). (This memory from back when I wanted to try writing with one, but was too lazy to want to prepare one for myself. Consequently, I still haven't tried one, but I hadn't thought of the stripping the fluffy parts and trimming the pen down. Hmmm ...)

August 30, 2008

Just to be a nerd, I kept an owl down feather we found in the woods hiking on my son's first camping trip. He's a few days short of 10 weeks now, and was 7 weeks for his first (short) camping trip. I keep meaning to write a haiku, his name on some birch bark with Noodler's (thank gawd for cellulosic inks!) in my excuse for calligraphy script, etc. Something nerdy like that.

I was reading one of those presidential pens threads recently, and the site usually linked to in those threads. Eagle quills were mentioned as a favorite of Abe Lincoln. I was curious- can you buy those? It'd be fun to try it out to see what the qualitative differences are. More/less flex, thicker walls, more/less ink retained, etc?

Does anyone know those differences are, or where one might be able to buy raw eagle, swan, etc feather/quills

Aaron

If there is a local school of veterinary medicine or a wildlife hospital nearby, you could try going there to see if they will allow you to collect molted feathers from the raptor cages, if they have a raptor rescue program. Another possible source might be a local zoo, if you have one nearby.