The Quill Pen
by Bess de Nevell
The earliest reference to quill pens was made by the Spanish
theologian St. Isidore of Seville in the 6th century.
After this the more flexible quill almost entirely replaced pens
cut from reeds as the writing tool of choice for the next 1300
years (Encarta). Made from one of the first five flight feathers
of any large bird such as a Goose, Swan or even a Peacock, the
word pen even derives from the Latin for feather "penna".
(Brown, 97)
As with many medieval scribal tools the quill was both a
blessing and a bother. The flexibility of the quill made writing
easier however a scribe had to re-cut the quill frequently to
maintain its edge. Often a quill would need to be cut more than
once per page of script, and hundreds of quills would be needed
to complete an entire manuscript. Although the Romans may have
known pens of bronze, the earliest mention of "brazen pens" was
in 1465. The 16th-century Spanish calligrapher Juan de Yciar
mentions brass pens for very large writing in his 1548 writing
manual, but the use of metal pens did not become widespread
until the early part of the 19th century. (Encarta)
To cut a quill pen, a sharp 'pen-'knife and much patient and
practice are needed. Interestingly enough, feathers from the
left wing fit the right hand best, and vice versa. Once
selected, soaking the feather in water and then plunging the end
into hot sand first hardens the quill so that it may then be cut
with a knife to form the nib.(Brown,97)
First shorten the plume to a length you are comfortable with,
and then strip away the barb. Next cut away the tip of the
barrel at a steep angle, and remove the membrane from inside the
feather.
Make a slit in the top center of the barrel. The best way to
do this is to place the point of the knife inside the barrel,
and lever the knife blade gently upwards, releasing pressure as
soon as a crack occurs.
Slice a scoop from the underside of the pen, to about half
its diameter, and centered on the slit.
Shape the nib on one side of the slit, then Shape the nib on
the opposite side, making sure the two halves match. If the
underside of the nib is too concave, scrape it flat with a clean
scooping cut, removing as little quill as possible.
To "nib" the pen, rest the underside of the point on a
smooth, hard surface. Thin the tip from the top side by
'scraping' the blade forward at a shallow angle; then make a
vertical cut, either at right angles to the slit or obliquely.
On a very strong feather the last cut can be repeated to remove
a very fine sliver, avoiding a rough underside on the tip of the
nib. (Leofwine)
Bibliography
- Brown, Michelle P.; "Understanding Illuminated Manuscripts",
J.Paul Getty Muesum, Los Angeles, 1994
- "Writing Implements," Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia
2000. © 1993-1999 Microsoft Corporation.
- Leofwine and Yffi; "Cutting a Quill",
http://www.regia.org/quill2.htm, Regia Anglorum
Publications, 1995
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