How to Write With a Feather Quill

Holding Your Feather Quill

Use a cushion. Place a flat felt cushion under the paper. This will keep the quill nib sharper longer. A quill pen can only be sharpened so many times before it becomes unusable. Pens that don’t have to be sharpened as often will last longer.

Hold the quill like a regular pen. Let the quill rest between your thumb and forefinger. Grip the area above the nib with you thumb and forefinger. If the quill is made from a natural feather, don’t squeeze too hard. Otherwise, you could crack it and make it unusable.

Dip the quill in the ink. Submerge the nib in the inkwell. Slowly draw it up. Scrape the excess ink off the nib and back into the well. Too much ink will bleed through the paper, possibly wasting an entire sheet. If you don’t get enough ink on the quill, you can at least redip it into the ink. You’ll have to dip your quill regularly as you write. Each dip will give you about three to six words.

Position the nib at an angle. Advice ranges from a downward angle of 45 degrees to perpendicular (90 degrees). The nib should face left for right-handed people and right for left-handed people. This will ensure thin, manageable lines. If your nib faces straight up or down, it will produce lines that are too thick to form legible words.

Writing with Your Quill

Write until you need to dip your quill again. Apply very light pressure to the paper. Too much pressure could break your pen, tear the paper, or dull the nib too quickly. As you write, try to do so until you need to redip your pen. Stopping too often will cause unsightly ink blobs on your paper.

Finish with sand. When you have finished writing, sprinkle sand on top of the inked paper. This will soak up any excess ink without destroying your writing. Let the sand sit for a few minutes. Then, either shake or blow the sand off the paper. You should do this either outside or over a trash can to avoid making a mess.

Rinse the nib. Whether the nib is the shaft of a feather or a metal nib, you should rinse it thoroughly with water after writing. This will prolong your quill’s lifespan and ensure the quality of the instrument is maintained.

Dry the nib. If you use a natural feather pen, let the cleaned shaft air dry. It will reconstitute and harden on its own. A metal nib, on the other hand, should be dried gently with a cloth towel or paper towel. Like any form of metal, it can rust if water is left on the surface too long.

Selecting and Caring for Your Quill

Go to a specialty store. Quill pens are not available everywhere. The easiest place to find quill pens is an online store such as Etsy or Amazon or your local art supply store. If you live near a historic site, you could check the gift shop for inexpensive quill pens. Traditional quill pens are large feathers whose shafts have been hollowed out as ink reservoirs. These pens tend to have softer tips that are less likely to puncture paper. Quill pens with metal nibs have been widely available since the early nineteenth century. If you’re feeling crafty, you can make your own pen.

Sharpen natural quills. If you have a traditional quill made entirely from a feather, you will have to sharpen the nib periodically. One telltale sign of a dull nib is an increased amount of ink flooding onto the paper. Using a penknife, extend the slit in the center of the shaft. Trim a small amount from each side the nib in diagonal strokes. After that, flatten the inside of the nib and snip off any excess shaft hanging from the tip.

Monitor the ink buildup on metal nibs. Blot the nib frequently during the writing process. You can do this with a scrap sheet of paper, a paper towel, or old rag. If any ink has dried on the metal, gently scrape it off with a pen knife. Dried ink will corrode a metal nib if it is allowed to stay on the surface.

Choosing Your Ink and Paper

Choose ink made for quill pens. Ink consistency is key. Choose ink that’s opaque but also thin enough to produce legible writing. Avoid India ink because its consistency is both thick and sticky and won't flow as freely. Calligraphy ink is a popular choice. Iron gall ink, originally used by medieval monks, is still available at craft stores like Etsy. Today, you could choose traditional black ink or a variety of other colors. For tight budgets, liquid grape juice concentrate is a viable alternative.

Begin with thicker paper. When you first use your feather quill pen, you should begin with thicker paper. Stationery, construction paper, or textured printing paper is a good option. Continue to use thicker paper until you become comfortable with pressure and style best suited for writing with a feather quill.

Progress to conventional paper. After you practice on thicker paper, you’ll be able to write with your feather quill on any paper surface. You can choose from conventional lined notebook paper or computer paper. However, if you prefer a traditional look, you can opt for parchment paper.