Make a Quill Pen

By the time students have mastered the skills of penmanship they can begin to appreciate ways to make writing unique.  Your child may have heard of "calligraphy," which means beautiful writing.  A quick way for your child to enhance his writing is by using different or unusual tools, such as a quill pen!  Quill pens were made from the flight feathers - preferably the largest wing feathers - of large birds. Here's how your child can make his own!

• Large wing feathers (while many craft stores sell feathers, prime wing feathers can be purchased from places like www.ostrich.com. They range in price but a pack of plain turkey quill feathers can be bought for under $3).  Try to find feathers that are about 12"long or more with a thick shaft.
• An art knife to cut the correct angle on the feather shaft
• Ink in a bottle - can be purchased at most craft and art supply stores. You might want to start with non-permanent ink until you are experienced.
• Cutting board
• Marker
• Tweezers

1. Select your feather. You need a feather long enough to hold comfortably, with a sturdy shaft (the spine of the feather).  You may cut away the sides of the feather for several inches to give a better grip or you may leave the feather as is.
2. Follow the natural curve of the feather.  You want your writing point to point down.
3. Take your marker and make a dot at the point you want to write with. Place your marked feather on a cutting board. With a sharp knife cut the end of the quill at a slant less than 45 degrees.
4. Take your tweezers and clean out any materials left in the cut shaft.
5. Dip your new quill pen into some non-permanent ink and see how your writing has changed.

Did You Know?

• Feathers evolved from the scales of reptiles and are one of the things that set birds apart from all other animals. 
• Feathers have a hollow shaft and can produce a sharper and more flexible tip than metal nibs.  The quills described above are easy to make and simple in design, but you can create a more complex nib that is more like metal nibs but requires greater skill in cutting.