Cutting Quill Pens From Feathers

8/20/2019 Cutting Quill Pens From Feathers

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Cutting Quill Pens from Feathers This is a document written in fux. I'm still experimenting even as we speak (1 June 1999) and as I !gure more things out the" will #e refected on thispage. $uite a lot o% this material is an attempt at reconciling confictingreports on how to cut a &uill. eople are o% man" opinions #ut the material's

the real test. This is ust another account o% experience and materials.

This is a page a#out how to cut %eathers into use%ul &uill pens. It attempts togo into most o% the tradeos and possi#ilities that are possi#le with one o% the most fexi#le writing instruments ever made. * practical guide to making%eathers into something that writes.

I won't sa" that i% "ou %ollow The Instructions +ere that "ou'll get a workingpen to "our liking hal% the #attle is reall" knowing what "ou like. The otherhal% is getting a %eel %or how "our kni%e goes into the %eathers o% "our choiceand how the various things I'm going to talk a#out will aect what "ou reall"

want to do. I will sa" up %ront that it's pro#a#l" going to take a num#er o% tries it won't #e per%ect the !rst time #ut with practice it can #e reall"statis%"ing.

I'm going to cover e&uipment prep cutting and then re,cutting o% ni#s inthis page.

Equipment

This is the stu I use to cut &uills.

1. Feathers-irst a #it a#out %eathers. +ow man" people have actuall" held out the wingo% a ver" large dead #ird measured the three or %our longest %eathers andpulled them out *n" takers I know I have never seen a dead goose orturke" wing with %eathers still on it. /o the old adage a#out taking the longestthree %eathers o the wing is all ver" good when "ou're Thomas Jeerson andcan raise "our own geese simpl" %or their &uills0 #ut %or us modern t"pesthere is a much simpler wa" to gather %eathers.

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I #u" m" %eathers %romlocal +o##" o##" 2en-ranklin or even3ichael's0 and whateverho##" shop that's !lledwith odd #askets dried

fowers leather lacingcandles galore and#eads is the place tohunt down %eathers. I'veseen these kinds o% shops all over the/eattle area the /an4iego area and the4enver area so I'massuming that the"'reaccessi#le %rom all over

the 5./.. I have no clue what international e&uivalents are #ut would #e gladto list them here i% someone tells me.

5suall" the" have #ags o% 'Indian -eathers' (made in 6hina or Taiwan orwhatever) with a#out six %eathers %or a#out a #uck and a &uarter so the"'rea#out a &uarter apiece %or usa#le &uill %eathers. The usa#le ones don't have acrushed tu#e and do have a signi!cant portion o% nearl" transparent tu#ingunderneath the plume o% the %eather. I've actuall" had some #ad luck !ndinga maorit" o% usa#le %eathers in the packets at 3ichael's so tr" the others i% "ou can !rst.

*#ove is a picture with one o% the average %eathers I've %ound #" a ruler so"ou have some idea o% minimum length and tu#e thickness. I usuall" go %oralmost a %oot long %eathers and the tu#e is usuall" 781 to a 18: inch thick. Idon't like using stu that's much smaller than this. Tales o% raven %eathersand the like #eing usa#le are true #ut these are a good standard cheapstarting place. ;ext to it is one o% the %eathers with a crushed tu#e and "oucan also see that the tu#e is signi!cantl" smaller than the regular %eather.


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2. The Knife*#ove the crushed tu#e is m" kni%e. It's a 2enchmade with the #luetitanium liners that Trip gave to me %or a #irthda". It's the kni%e I use %or

prett" much all m" &uill cutting. It's got a 7.=> inch *T/,7: #lade o% >9,1+?6 hardness with a .1@ inch thickness and a plain edge no sawtooth. It !tsm" hand well and surprisingl" does the !ne detailed work ver" easil". Theedge is magni!cent and cuts ver" nicel" without an" slippage or misses.

I also #ought one o% the 77A's #ecause I wanted something small #ut it ustdoesn't have the sta#ilit" the #igger kni%e has the onl" dierences are thatit's .< inches thick and %ar shorter. /o I have no idea wh" it doesn't cut raw&uill material as well. It does cut #ut m" control isn't as good with thesmaller #lade and with all the microscopic adustments I like to make I pre%erusing the larger kni%e. The goes through the stu easil" the 77A makes it

a #it more work. I have some hope that the tempered tu#es ma" make the77A more use%ul.

I have used a little tin" /wiss *rm" pen kni%e (%unn" how pen knives aregood %or cutting pens) "ou know those tin" pocket kni%es with a toothpickand tweeBers that alwa"s get lost I sharpened it with a diamond kni%esharpening stone and it's good %or getting the mem#rane out. It even has a#uilt,in scissors to start the shaping o% the tines and to !nish the tip with soit's actuall" a %airl" good thing to use i% it can #e sharpened enough to cutneatl". It is harder to use than either o% the a#ove knives0 however it issigni!cantl" cheaper.

The kni%e should #e clean extra sharp to prevent slippage and accidents andhave a fat none,edged #ack near the handle %or scraping certain #its clean.I'm %airl" sure that even a good kitchen kni%e should #e a#le to do the o# #utmake sure that it has smooth edges not serrated. * C*6TD kni%e straightraBor or a scapel can also work0 #ut the"'re all much harder to control#ecause o% the lack o% control sur%ace.

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The" sa" that in the old da"s %olks kept a penkni%e solel" %or the usage o% cutting &uills and that it was kept wicked sharp and never used %or an"thingelse even scraping parchment to erase a mistake. /ome sa" that the curvedtip is shaped to make cutting the curved edges o% the tines more easil" #utI've never used an"thing #ut the #ase o% the edge #ecause I've %ound thetu#e material too tough to ust press and cut I've mostl" had to ust carve

the tips into the right shape.

3. Other Stu The other two items are make the process much easier. I use the tweeBers %orpulling the dried mem#rane out o% the center o% the %eather and I use thescissors #oth to shape the ni# and to !nish the ver" tip. -or the initialshaping to make sure that I don't completel" mess up the tines #" pushingreall" hard on them with a kni%e I have to have a pair o% ver" sharp sewingscissors to snip awa" the worst o% the extra material on either side o% the tip.?esharpening doesn't reall" need either o% these additional tools as the kni%etip can take a #it o% mem#rane out o% the center and the kni%e edge is ver"

good %or doing the relativel" small amount o% material removal needed to ustreshape the tip rather than re,cutting it %rom scratch.

Preparationreparation is not totall" necessar" "ou can ust go and cut the tu#e o% the%eather without either o% these techni&ues as outlined in the cutting area. 2uttempering will give the ni# a longer usage li%e as well as certain propertiesthat dictate how "ou can cut the pen %urther down the tu#e. It is also a %un

and weird experiment in materials science. The stripping portion simpl" givesa more usa#le sha%t that also looks good and is easier on the hand.

1. Tempering Tempering gives the tu#e resilience and toughness. There are two paths thatI've gone down with this techni&ue and the two o% them give dierent resultsand dierent material strengths. The" also alter cutting techni&ue on thetu#e and I'll outline the dierence %or the dierent tu#es when I get downthere.

2oth methods involve putting a can %ull o% sand into a toaster oven (or

regular oven) at 7>A degrees -ahrenheit %or a#out !%teen to twent" minutesand then pushing the sha%t o% the %eather as %ar into it as it will go. I presentl"use a soup can !lled with sand as that will cover all the #are area o% the%eather sha%t. I leave it in until the sand gets cold. I used to use a tuna canthe idea is the same the %ull sixteen ounce cans allow me to do this ustonce instead o% once %or the tip and once %urther up when I get that %ar upwith the cutting.

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The methods o% splitting and cutting that I !rst outline are %or a sha%t that has#een ust heat treated. *nd what happens is that the transparent tu#e goesopa&ue %rom the heat and it gets #oth harder and more #rittle so that thesplitting techni&ue outlined #elow works reall" well and the point sta"saround %or a good %our to six pages. The top sha%t #elow has #een ust heattreated and the #ottom one is how it looks #e%ore it's #een treated at all. Thetu#e should shrink a little %eel more solid than the untreated tu#e. It alsoallows recutting #" simpl" splitting the split a #it %urther and recutting the tip.


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The second techni&ue %or tempering involves E!rstE soaking the #are sha%t inwater overnight. The transparent tu#e goes opa&ue with the soaking. Thenstick it in the hot sand and it will go transparent again a%ter the long heattreatment in the hot sand. The tu#e %rom this treatment will #e ust as toughas the ust,heat treated tu#e #ut it will #e less #rittle and more fexi#le. Italso #ecomes nearl" impossi#le to split in the normal order o% cutting.

This actuall" lines up with historic data that indicates that onl" %our or !vegood points could #e gotten %rom a &uill as without #eing a#le to ust %urtherthe split the split has to #e restarted EoppositeE the original tip. /o re,tippingthis kind o% tu#e has an entirel" dierent set o% steps once the original splithas #een used up.

The fexi#ilit" o% the tu#e though a%ter #oth water and heat treatment ismarvelous %or writing and the tu#e material seems to take as long to wear aswith the more #rittle ust heat treated hardness without sacri!cing fexi#ilit".It's a trade o in man" wa"s. The one thing is that with the heat,onl"method I've had a %airl" signi!cant num#er o% tu#e ust shatter when I triedto cut them. That might more than make up %or the length o% tu#e that getscut %or points on the more reslient tu#e.


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Hhere the plume starts has a vein that runs a channel into the tu#e sonearl" ever"thing in the area where the plume starts is unusa#le %or ni# work

and pens. /o it doesn't reall" matter too much i% it gets scarred or i% it evengets cut o. /o long as the remaining length is com%orta#le %or "our hand.

Cutting the First i!3" main emphasis is on ver" !ne tipped &uill pens things that I can use towrite %our or !ve lines o% text at a time. Hith tempering the" can last %orseveral pages per sharpening as well. The main order is make the slit !rstthen shape the two tines to meet where the slit is. -or those that want the

reslience o% soak,then,heat read this !rst. -or the rest o% "ou this is what I do

1. Fin" pen orientation ,, +old the %eather is "ou would a pen. I've%ound that the #est thing is to %ollow the curve so that the point curvesdown instead o% up. Hhen it curves up and there's a #ead o% ink underthe ni# i% the angle is too low the #ead can touch the paper andspread ever"where. *lso the shape o% the &uill under the plume ma"aect how eas" it is to hold. /o !gure out where the top o% the penshould #e.

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It will actuall" work with the opposite curve it's ust a #it moreawkward to get it to work easil" sometimes though some %olks like thewa" the tu#e curves through their grip the other wa" so it's worthtr"ing.

@. Cut to set#up Slitting ,, This is an entirel" non,intuitive cut. 2utstarting %rom the top i% "ou're holding the point awa" %rom "ou cut asteep angled cut awa" %rom "ou. Tr" and make this as centered aspossi#le on where "ou want the top to #e. This should cut all the wa"through the tu#e and should #e less than %ort",!ve degrees steep. es"ou're making exactl" the opposite cut "ou would i% "ou were going tomake the tip in one cut and slit it. The picture ma" help. I've marked

the 'top' o% this %eather with a #lack marker and show the angle o% thecut. It is the #ottom o% the two sha%ts.


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7. Open the Tu!e ,, * shallow cut along the #ottom centered againstthe top it should #e %airl" long and can #e nicel" curved so that #" thetime "ou get to the tip "ou should #e cutting o a#out hal% the width o% the tu#e in a nice level line. It's to open the tu#e up %or the next steps.

It should look like the top tu#e in the picture a#ove.

:. $a%ing the Slit ,, This is the trick" #it. Take the two 'horns' that are

shaped #" the intersection o% the small cut and the #ig cut and %oldthem together and press that part o% the tu#e fat. ou should hear asnap and a split should appear #etween the 'horns'. Tr" not to make ittoo long a slit that is don't %old the opened section o% tu#e too %arawa" %rom the tip. ou want something that's onl" a &uarter o% an inchlong #ut i% it's longer don't worr". It's eas" to ust cut that shallow cut%urther to accomidate the slit length.

*n alternate and even trickier procedure %or making the slit is #e%ore"ou open the tu#e put the tip o% the kni%e into the small hole made #"the initial cut and lever the kni%e to make a ver" little slit in the #ottom

o% that initial round. * good picture %or this #it can #e seen at this 5.K.recreation page on step three o% their process. I've never #een a#le todo this without cutting an inch,long gash in the length o% the tu#e incraB" directions. It ma" ust take practice #ut I've also never had akni%e,cut split work as well as a split that used the nature o% the tu#ematerial to make a clean split.

3useum #ack up to m" method appears on the #acks o% some penknives in the shape o% a peg that the tip was pressed against in order tomake and lengthen the slit #" splitting the tu#e material %urther.

>. Shaping the i! ,, There is a tradeo o% angles and strength and howlong the ni#'s tip will last. The answer to the pro#lem is in the curvedshape. This is part o% wh" most %ountain pen ni#s are shaped the wa"the" are to give strength at the #ase strength used to sta#liBe thewhole ni# and keep the slit together and fexi#ilit" and narrowness atthe tip o% the tines to provide a narrow writing point.

I% the ni# is too wide it'll dull &uickl". I% the ni# is too narrow it'll fickink ever"where and wear down ver" &uickl". /o I shape each tine wide

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at the #ase narrow at the tip with m" scissors (so I don't push too hardat the initial tine and snap it o #" using a kni%e) and then carve awa"slowl" with a kni%e to make the curve as shown in the center. The oneon the le%t is cut with too narrow a tip and is the commercial one thatficks ink in all directions. The tip on the right is cut too widel" and isactuall" ust a tip that I've done the scissors work to #ut not carved to

shape "et.

The tines don't have to #e identical. I've had a %ew slits slide to one

side on me when split and I've had one tine larger than the other #utthings still worked. I tried to correct on the next cutting and that helpedsigni!cantl". Dne thing to #e sure o% though is that #oth sides end upwith material that will hit the paper on either side o% the slit.

The other %unction o% the shape o% the ni# is %or ink fow. The tip needsto #e fat whereas the part o% the &uill that holds ink needs to #erounded to make #est usage o% ink's sur%ace tension a#ilities. I% thecurve and sur%ace area extends too %ar down the tip the ink will fowtoo &uickl" to the tip ending up in #lo##" writing and a tendenc" %orthe tip to drop a lot o% ink at once. The picture #elow shows the shapeo% the shaped ni# %rom the side. This is the other wh" as to wh" thematerial is carved awa" %rom the sides.


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I also tr" to shape the ni# so that the tip meets up right i.e. #oth tinetips meet at exactl" the same spot on the central slit. This takes somereall" !ne shaving at the end o% the shaping and a lot o% looking at theresult to see i% it actuall" ends up right. Hith practice it gets easier tosee and easier to udge. In the #eginning though I had to ink a lot o% useless tips #e%ore I could !gure out the reall" tin" #its o% adusting that

needed to #e done to get it to reall" work.

. Finishing the Tip ,, I usuall" do the shaping o% the tines to where the"meet as exactl" as possi#le at the same point on the tip which usuall"ends up #eing a needle,like tip with small curls o% shavings stillattached and when the" pull o there's microscopic '#its' on it still. Toremove the #its I usuall" put ust the ver" edge o% the tip into thescissors and snip the loose or unsta#le #its o this is sometimes a#outthe thickness o% an e"elash. The traditional wa" though is to put the tip on some supportingsur%ace the easiest when I'm holding kni%e in the right hand and pen in

the le%t is m" le%t index !ngernail and then use the kni%e to cut o thelast in!ntesmal #it. To make a thicker ni# cut o more. 3edium #roadand even chisel points are eas" ust cut them to that shape with theslit in the middle. *s another step with the #oarder tips is scrapingeither the top or the #ottom a #it to make a smoother tip %or writing. This is much like grinding smooth an" metal tip ust %aster.

This is reall" hard to get a picture o% #ecause the work is ust so closeand so microscopic. I actuall" !nd it easier to do this without m"contacts in #ecause I'm severel" nearsighted to the point where I havesuch a strong prescription %or ever"da" use that m" reall" close sight

gets aected when I have m" lenses in. I can do a general shaping withm" contacts in #ut the occassional trou#lesome point takes me takingout m" contacts to actuall" !gure out the microscopic adustment toget it right.

=. Testing &our Point ,, The !nal step is to dip it into ink and tr" it out onsome paper. 3ake sure that "ou have good paper cheap paper willtake the amounts o% ink that a &uill puts down and #leed the inkever"where even amounts o% ink that shouldn't #leed and are normal%or a &uill. *lso tr" to use a %airl" light hand it shouldn't #e ridiculousl"light #ut it shouldn't #e three,copies,through,car#on,paper heav"

either as that's #ound to split the tips. I've %ound though i% the tip iscut correctl" and the ni# is sta#le someone with a prett" heav" handcan still write with a well,cut &uill.

3ost usual pro#lem at this point is that it's spilling ink in #ig #lo#sever"where. This usuall" means that the edges de!ning the tinesweren't curved %rom the outside to the tip so that the tip are could #efat %or enough sur%ace area. Hhat usuall" happens is that the" aren'tcut curved ust straight so that there is curve to the tu#e as well as


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more width ust #ehind the point. The width allows more ink fow to thetip than the tip can actuall" handle and the sur%ace tension o% the inkclings to the curve until it touches down to the paper. Then #lo#. The !xis to cut the tip so that %rom the side it looks like the picture !rst up%rom here.

* less usual pro#lem #ut one that happens once one gets the idea toshape the tip thinl" is that o% ficking spra"s o% ink in some direction.5suall" this means that the tip was shaped too thinl" without enoughsupport %rom the #ase o% the tines. /o slice ust a #it o the tip to allowit a #it wider a #ase. -inall" i% it writes %or %our or !ve words and then &uits it's #ecause the%eed %rom the ink reserve isn't working and either the split reall" isn't asplit or the tines aren't meeting evenl" on the paper and "ou might #ewriting with ust one tine. I know it ElooksE like it is #ut it's possi#lethat the split slants through the material or something reall" small isn't

&uite lined up. ook at it under a magni%"ing glass or ust shave a #it o each side o% the tip and re,cut "our tip and it ma" well work #etter.*nother mani%estation o% this is when one tip is ust #arel" o andsome letters might %ade out as "our write #ut i% "ou change the angle"ou're holding the pen at the writing comes #ack. Dne wa" to checkthe split is to see i% ink gets in it when "ou've dipped it and wiped therest o% it clean. The other more dangerous wa" is to use the kni%eedge to ust gentl" li%t up on the split to see i% the tips reall" do part. I% "ou do this too %ar the tips ma" never come #ack together and "ouhave to re,cut it an"wa"0 #ut sometimes it can #e a ver" use%ul wa" tosee i% things are working.

oints a#out cutting ,, The kni%e isn't a press and cut kind o% deal where thetip is pressed against the tu#e material and it actuall" goes through. I usuall"carve shaving o #its and curls %rom the outside in along the tine shaping#its. The !rst two cuts are also nearl" the same as whittling motions wherethe kni%e edge catches on the sur%ace then slices or carve through material. Ido a lot o% tin" little carvings at the end. The shallow cut and the steep cut atthe #eginning are &uick and ruthless0 #ut the shaping is a ver" !ne controlthing.

For Soa%e" an" Tempere" Tu!es ,, The soaked and tempered tips need a

slightl" scram#led order and the onl" wa" to split the tu#e is #" using "ourkni%e. /o #asicall" it's do the set,up cut make the kni%e split then open thetu#e to shape the tines and !nish #" cutting the tip. Hith the more fexi#lematerial the kni%e split is actuall" eas" to do. 2ack to cutting start.

Cutting Su!sequent i!s

http://flick.com/~liralen/quills/quills.html#knifesplithttp://flick.com/~liralen/quills/quills.html#knifesplithttp://flick.com/~liralen/quills/quills.html#setupslithttp://flick.com/~liralen/quills/quills.html#knifesplithttp://flick.com/~liralen/quills/quills.html#opentubehttp://flick.com/~liralen/quills/quills.html#opentubehttp://flick.com/~liralen/quills/quills.html#shapenibhttp://flick.com/~liralen/quills/quills.html#finishtiphttp://flick.com/~liralen/quills/quills.html#cuttinghttp://flick.com/~liralen/quills/quills.html#knifesplithttp://flick.com/~liralen/quills/quills.html#knifesplithttp://flick.com/~liralen/quills/quills.html#setupslithttp://flick.com/~liralen/quills/quills.html#knifesplithttp://flick.com/~liralen/quills/quills.html#opentubehttp://flick.com/~liralen/quills/quills.html#opentubehttp://flick.com/~liralen/quills/quills.html#shapenibhttp://flick.com/~liralen/quills/quills.html#finishtiphttp://flick.com/~liralen/quills/quills.html#cutting


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crack what was once the curved edge on the lower side. /o make the slitthen cut a new shallow tu#e opener opposite that slit eectivel" taking o the entire old ni# and then shape the tines to either side o% the completel"new ni# and make the point as usual.

This will make the tu#e curve the other wa" in "our hand0 #ut it allows %or a

ver" clean &uick slit %or the new ni#. *musingl" enough this also lines upwith some historic data that a large goose %eather was onl" good %or %our or!ve ni#s #e%ore it should #e thrown out. Hith the ust,heat techni&ue I canget nearl" an in!nite num#er o% tips %rom it so long as I ust keep lengtheningthe slit in a controlled manner.

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Cutting Quill Pens From Feathers

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