How to Make a Feather Quill (2 ways)

 by DainiusGB
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Dont worry this does have to do with halloween! This could be a great prop If you needed to do some writing at a haunted house or halloween party !Here are two simple ways to make a fake and real feather quill or pen. These can be used in a witch or wizard costume, if you are doing some sort of big setup or haunted house or something that involves writing. They are really easy and virtually free to make!

First of all you must pick the right feather, the bigger longer and fatter the feather the better, although for the fake quill, the stem has to be relatively thin.
 
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Step 1: The Real way

Making a traditional feather quill is not hard. Really the only thing hard is learning to write with one. The tip is flat so you can only draw down strokes. It leaves you writing in Gothic script but it still looks cool and is fun, but not very practical for everyday note-taking and stuff like that. All you need to do is cut a diagonal cut (with scissors or a small knife) across the tip of the feather, you will be writing on the pint of this tip. You can make it a little wider for calligraphy or thinner for normal writing but remember, you cant draw going up sow your going to have to work out some sort of gothic script. I learned by the picture below.
Xysrvrsch says: Nov 22, 2009. 7:27 PM
Great instructable!
What kind of ink are you using with the real quill?
srose2 in reply to XysrvrschMay 14, 2011. 8:20 PM
india probably
REA says: Apr 27, 2009. 4:49 PM
in step two, what do you mean by "...you cant draw going up..."?
DainiusGB (author) in reply to REASep 6, 2009. 9:20 PM
you cannot move the pen upwards while writing. Only downward strokes.
dwhp says: Mar 16, 2009. 9:43 PM
thank you for this. I made one with this huge feather i found in the field behind my neihgberhood.
Jedi Ronin says: Oct 15, 2008. 9:57 PM
Also, this is useful in a ritualistic setting (i.e. Wiccan/Neopagan)
DainiusGB (author) in reply to Jedi RoninOct 16, 2008. 5:50 AM
yeah this is totally halloween but those instructable guys haven't let it in the contest!
dwhp in reply to DainiusGBDec 4, 2008. 4:56 PM
like Ifer said,"Where's you get the feathers?".
DainiusGB (author) in reply to dwhpDec 4, 2008. 9:28 PM
I got the feathers from some sand dunes/ beach this is one of the best place to get them because there are lots of gulls and sea birds around the coast and the feathers either fall in the water and get washed up ashore and stuck in grasses and such or if the feathers are dropped over the dunes they will fly across the sand until they hit a tuft of grass and they will get stuck there. So all in all the best place to get feathers is near the sea.
Ifer says: Nov 23, 2008. 9:01 PM
Where's you get the feathers?
foxpox says: Oct 14, 2008. 9:37 PM
oh sweet id never think of that!
nnygamer says: Oct 14, 2008. 8:18 PM
Without tempering the tip a quill will not be sturdy enough for extended use. You can bake (@ 350 15-20 min) or heat on the stove, both in a can full of sand. This will harden the tip and make it easier to carve and last a bit longer.
DainiusGB (author) in reply to nnygamerOct 14, 2008. 9:33 PM
oh wow i didnt know at all about that thanks!
HeWantsRevenge says: Oct 14, 2008. 5:35 PM
awesome idea there...goto try it next timei fall into some feathers
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