Quill
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2008-06-13T20:54:43Z
Writer9
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{{otheruses1|the quill pen}}
A '''quill''' [[pen]] is made from a [[flight feather]] (preferably a primary) of a large [[bird]]. Quills were used as instruments for [[writing]] with [[ink]] before the metal [[dip pen]], the [[fountain pen]], and eventually the [[ball point]] [[pen]] came into use. The hand-cut goose quill is still a superior [[Western calligraphy|calligraphy]] tool, providing a sharp stroke and flexibility unmatched in steel pens. The shaft of the feather acts as an ink reservoir and ink flows to the tip by [[Capillary action|capillary action]]. A metal retainer helps to hold the ink in place.
Common writing equipment in [[medieval]] times were the quill and [[parchment]] or [[paper]]. The quill eventually replaced the [[reed pen]]. The quill pen was used in [[Qumran]], [[Judea]] to write some of the [[Dead Sea Scrolls]] and then introduced into [[Europe]] by around [[700]] AD. It was used in [[1787]] to write and sign the [[Constitution of the United States of America]]. The strongest quills were the primary flight feathers taken from living birds in the spring. The left wing was favored because the feathers curved outward and away when used by a right-handed writer. [[Goose]] feathers were most common; [[swan]] feathers were of a premium grade being scarcer and more expensive. For making fine lines, [[crow (bird)]] feathers were the best, and then came the feathers of the [[eagle]], [[owl]], [[hawk]] and [[turkey]].
Usually the barbs are stripped off partially or completely to allow the writer to hold the pen.
A [[signwriter]] or sign painter uses a "quill" [[brush]] as a main tool. The quill brush is usually made from [[ox]] hair, which is more durable than many other artist brushes. It has a quill [[ferrule]] which attaches the hair to the brush handle and is tied together with wire.
<!-- Pens from the LEFT wing were cheaper than right winged ones, because when held in position for writing they pointed towards the writer's eye and not out over the elbow as right wing ones did. -->
==External links ==
*[http://www.regia.org/church/quills.htm Regia Anglorum]
*[http://www.flick.com/~liralen/quills/quills.html How to cut quill pens]
*[http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aa100197.htm A brief history of writing instruments]
*[http://www.6nc.org/about6nc/quill_pens.html Quill Pens the 18th Century Way]
[[Category:Feathers]]
[[Category:Writing instruments]]
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[[it:Penna d'oca]]
[[nl:Ganzenveer]]
[[ja:羽根ペン]]
[[sv:Bläckpenna]]
[[zh:鵝毛筆]]