Introduction: How to Make a Feather Pen (plus Invisible Ink!)

Feather pens are awesome!
They can be used  as costume props, secret message pens, make-believe toys and much more!
With this instructable, I will be showing you how to make a feather pen, PLUS invisible ink to go with it!



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Step 1: Supplies

What you need-

A feather (see step two)
A highliter
A piece of 3/4 inch or similar wood (optional)
A small container ( like a film canister)

A knife
Pliers
A drill (optional)
A jar with a lid
paint

*water*

Step 2: Choosing Your Feather

As you might guess,  the feather  is the most important part of this whole project, so make sure your feather is a good one!

Your feather should be from a large bird ( like a turkey, goose, ect.) so that it will have a thick quill. This is so that it will be strong enough to be cut into a pen. Your feather should also be nice and full, with few imperfections.

Some places to find feathers-

Taxidermists
your backyard
the internet (  sites like zucker feather products are good)

Step 3: Prep Your Feather

It is always a good idea to wash your feathers, especially if you found them outside!
To wash your feather, gently run it under warm water while smoothly cleaning any dirt or bugs off of it.

To make your feather pen last longer, you may wish to dip the end of the quill in warm sand for a bout 30 min.
this will harden the point of the quill, making it stronger.

Step 4: Shaping Your Feather

The first thing you need to do is to shave of enough fluff at the bottom of the feather so that it will fit in your hand comfortably.

Now, this is were personal preference comes into play.

Some people may prefer to leave their feather in its natural shape. (This looks especially great on Peacock feathers!)
I however wanted to change the shape of my feather. To do this, use your knife and slowly draw it along the feather going from front
 to back. As you go, make sure you do not pull the feather apart. This wil allow you to shape the feather however you want!

Step 5: Shaping the Quill Tip

To make the pen, take your knife and cut away part of the tip, so that it forms a point.
When you are done it should look like this (See pics)

Different sized tips allow for different styles of writing. Experiment and see what size fits you!


Great Job! you are done making an awesome feather pen!
Continue to learn how to make a stand and invisible ink.

Step 6: Make the Ink

To make your invisible ink, take your highliter and pull on the tip with some pliers.
 A  yellow thing that holds the highliter ink should come out.  Next, run the yellow thing
under a small stream of water, and catch all of the liquid  in Your jar. Keep doing this untill the yellow thing is
a whitish color. You should now have a lot of flourescent yellow liquid. Put some of it into a smaller container for everyday use.

To use the ink, dip your feather pen about a 1/4 inch into the ink.  Your pen should hold the ink in and not let it spill out.
To write, use the feather pen as you would use a normal pen. This may take some practice to get right!
The ink will take about 10-20 minutes to dry. once dry, it should be completely invisible.
Now, send your secret message to your friends!


*This ink is only visible under a blacklight*

Step 7: The Stand

This is really very easy.

To make a stand, simply cut your piece of wood into your desired shape.
Then drill a hole the size of your quill almost all the way through the wood.
Paint it and your done!

Step 8: Finish!

 Your done! Now go show off you sweet feather pen to all of your friends!

Toy Challenge 2

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Toy Challenge 2