Quill pens are made from goose feathers that have been degreased and hardened, and then sharpened to have a pen tip. Before the invention of metal-tipped dip pens, fountain pens, and ballpoint pens in the West, quills were the primary writing instrument.
The following is a brief introduction on how to make your own quill pen. The first thing to note is that not all feathers can be made into suitable pens. The feathers must be long enough and flexible. If you really can’t find goose feathers, you can turn to the almighty Taobao...
The difficulty in making goose quills lies in sharpening the angle and controlling the nib width. Therefore, before formal production, the goose feathers need to be heat treated: insert the quill into the sand, heat the sand to hundreds of degrees, and take it out after cooling. The pen barrel becomes opaque and is said to be stronger and more wear-resistant.
The most critical step in making a quill is sharpening. Most of the time, you use scissors to make an oblique cut at the root of the quill, and then use a knife to trim the tip of the pen, but I am used to using a utility knife to solve the problem... The angle of the bevel must be moderate, and the best is to leave it at 30-40 degrees, which can maintain the ink storage capacity. Not too little or too much. Near the tip of the pen, the goose feathers where the fingers are held must be picked clean, otherwise it will be extremely obstructive during writing. Some users, perhaps considering convenience, will cut off all the hair on the entire pen barrel, leaving only the pen barrel.
After bevel cutting, the scaly material in the quill needs to be emptied out with a small spoon or toothpick to ensure that it does not affect the ink storage capacity and the smoothness of dipping with water. Use a knife to continue side-sharpening the nib details and trim the width of the nib to achieve the desired effect. The next more critical step is to split in the middle (refer to the pen nib). Although many strategies still use scissors, I personally think that this method may cause the lines to be not smooth and make the ink flow difficult; therefore, it is recommended to use as sharp a sharp edge as possible in the middle seam. Use a utility knife or blade to cut it in one go and try not to modify it. Finally, use scissors to trim the very front of the nib, making sure to keep the nib as flat as possible.
The first sharpened pen~
Just these stocks, 23 feathers, one feather can be seen from the side.
Close-up of the pen tip ~ The heat-treated pen barrel should actually be opaque.
Part of the quill pen ~ The heat-treated pen barrel should actually be opaque.
Part of the quill pen ~ The heat-treated pen barrel should actually be opaque.
I sharpened my second quill~
The second quill pen has a much thinner tip than the first thick pen used for writing Black Letter, and can be used for writing more casual handwriting. . . Although almost 5 letters still need to be dipped in ink once~~
