From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A Quill pen

A quill pen is made from a flight feather (preferably a primary) of a large bird, most often a goose. 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 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.

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. The strongest quills were those taken from living birds in the spring from the five outer left wing feathers. 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 feathers were the best, and then came the feathers of the eagle, owl, hawk and turkey.

It is widely popularised that the barbs (the feather) would be left on, but in fact it would be stripped off and only the shaft was used (and thus, the accompanying photo is inaccurate).

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.

• Regia Anglorum
• How to cut quill pens
• A brief history of writing instruments
• Writing instruments over 6000 years (timeline)
• Quill Pens the 18th Century Way