Making a Quill from a Feather

I have always loved the await of quill pens and take frequently wondered what information technology was similar to write with i. When you see the cute documents and letters people wrote with quills information technology is awe inspiring:

Psst, I'grand pretty certain a motorcar wrote this…

If you read historical romance (and why wouldn't you?!) you may accept noticed that people often faff around with quills. It seems to accept been an excellent way to become up to a little flirting: the heroine mashes or splits the end of her quill and then requires some hunky hero to trim the quill with hispenknife. Yeah, you know what I'm talking most….

People dorsum then liked to paint other people with quills, likewise.

Elmira: Do it, Horatia! Do it! Break the pecker already! Horatia: *I wish men still wore wigs–he's DREAMY!*

Not again….

Hmmm, my wig itches…

Here are the parts of a feather, if you are interested in learning something new today. If you lot aren't, just move along, move along! Nothing to run into here….

Anyhow, I've always saved the big feathers my turkey Wiccus likes to molt almost every year. I've also collected a few goose feathers over the past few years, although they don't seem to accept an all-over molt like chickens and turkeys.

Hither is a film of Wiccus in all his feathered glory:

Wiccus with a total set of feathers

Some of the feathers had become pretty dirty so I gave them a expert scrubbing. Feathers are durable and get wet all the fourth dimension. Birds ordinarily preen them with natural oils to make them h2o-resistant so some of these feathers were remarkably make clean. Those that had been left out in the sun and elements were harder to wash. Yous can requite them a vigorous scrubbing with a brush in warm, soapy water if necessary.

Once they've stale they'll be all nice and fluffy again!

After reading diverse "how-to" instructions (the website https://world wide web.instructables.com/ is one bully source) I decided to try my hand at cutting my own quill.

Now, earlier everyone at abode rushes out to try this (equally I know you all Will) delight exist warned that cutting a quill is dangerous, tricky concern. I've seen how durable a bird'due south plumage is, so I don't know why I was so surprised a feather would be so damned hard to cutting–simply they are!

Just earlier I go on I need to make a confession. Cut and shaping feathers was not only dangerous, it was damned nearly impossible. Then, I ended upwards adulterous a little. Y'all can read about that and see pictures below.

For those of you lot who are purists here is what you will need:

A feather. (Please don't purchase a feather from a hobby store as well-nigh of them take beentakenfrom birds in inhumane weather condition rather than voluntarily donated. Have a look on Craigslist equally people often just save them and give them away. I have numberless of feathers and I'm always glad to share!)
a cutting board (I used an old plastic board that I keep on paw for cut non-food items)
a thin tipped mark
scissors
a VERY precipitous Xacto pocketknife (this is important! The feathers are difficult enough to cut equally it is)
safe glasses- you belittle, but an Xacto tip snapped off and I was glad I was wearing glasses. Glad.

And hither is what you'll need if you want to be a cheater, like ME!

metal nibs
glue
embroidery floss/thread

HINT: if y'all soak the cease of the feather in water overnight it will be a picayuneeasier to cutting, but yet difficult.

Anyhow, showtime you want to cutting the end of the plume:

Run across how I've cutting it straight. This is a tricky process as it is really easy to split the feather if you utilise too much pressure. A separate tip is a big bargain if you lot are going to exist a purist and manus carve your nib simply not so of import if yous are a CHEATER. Similar me…

Once you've cut the cease off you can e'er clean the fluff from the center of the plume if yous like.

Hold the quill the way you will want to hold information technology to write. At present, the truth is that actual quill pens were mostly stripped of their barbs (the fluffy role that makes the feather so pretty). Apparently they did this and then the pen was easier to handle. I leave the barbs on my quills although I will trim them upward if the plumage has been damaged.

Anyhow, yous desire to make sure you hold the pen in the position you will utilise to write before you lot draw your marks.

There is no shortcut to carving. You basically draw the lines of the nib onto the plume: Start shaping with your Xacto knife. I recommend cutting less and so slowly whittling toward the line. Here is a picture show of the shape you lot want to end up with:

Once you've shaped the beak y'all volition employ the Xacto to make a split in the writing tip. Here is a picture of the nib. You can't see the split because I'thousand not skilled at taking pictures…. Anyhow, you just employ the tip of the Xacto to make the cut. It's probably the easiest of the cuts since you can practise it past pressing the bill onto the cutting lath.

Here are some cool little pots of different colored ink I ordered from Dick Blick's :

Okay, no laughing–hither is a sample of my writing with my nifty new quill pen:

I have to confess that took a while. If writing a book with a quill was the only way to get the job done I'm not sure I could do it…

Okay, if you lot've stuck effectually until this bespeak I tin now show you the cheater's manner.

You lot can social club yourself some of these fiddling guys:

Again, I ordered mine from Dick Blick, which definitely had the biggest selection and best price. The only reason I ordered ii is considering I'm making 50 of these picayune guys equally giveaways and have feathers that actually vary in diameter. You lot can't tell from the picture, just the top bill is a lot narrower than the lower one.

So, you're going to cut the tip off, simply like you did above, but this fourth dimension you volition make a slit in the quill. Make it long enough to conform the base of the bill. You tin can use scissors on this because it doesn't matter if the cut is really make clean.

Clearly you're going to take to practise something to secure the pecker in the feather. Here is a use for all that embroidery thread you have just lying around! Okay, so maybe you'll take to to out and buy some.

I recommend the sparkly kind, although information technology is a bit harder to use because information technology keeps fraying.

For demonstration purposes I'm going to use some regular, non-sparkly, blueish.

See how I've laid the thread with the tail end away from the nib? This is a good idea because information technology will leave the area nearest the nib smooth. Start wrapping the thread around the nib terminate and work downwardly the plume. Make sure to leave plenty of the tail end to tie with the strand y'all are using to wrap. Encounter below how I've tied the knot and cutting the thread. I've washed it below the quill so it won't interfere with your fingers when you lot hold information technology. Take your glue of choice (I'm using Gorilla Glue here and glaze all of the thread. In one case yous've covered it on all sides you need to exit it to dry out (but you knew that, didn't you?)

When it has completely stale you lot tin trim the threads or tie them into a bow or whatsoever floats your gunkhole. Sometimes I go out them, sometimes I cut them.

Here are a couple unlike feathers. I've stripped the affront from the 1 on the left, which is closer to what a real quill would have looked similar. The one on the right is a feather in all its glory (well, except there is no turkey attached, which is the REAL celebrity!)

I've punched a hole in one of my business cards and attached the quill to a little pot of ink. These are some of the reader gifts I will exist giving away at my debut signings.