Make a Modern Quill Pen

Fancy writing with a feather, but can't stand the hassle and mess of dipping it in ink?

The modern quill pen is as clean as a Biro and writes for just as long

Let me show you how I make them

Step 1: Find Your Feather

You'll need a flight feather of at least 6" in length

I live near the sea, so I just went down to the beach and found one from a gull

Warning:Feathers can carry diseases, so wear gloves or wash hands after handling initially. Wash with detergent and then sterilize with alcohol or similar

Step 2: Tart Up Your Feather

Unless you're lucky, your feather will need a brush to make it look good

Flight feathers have hooks to keep the featherletts (is there such a word) together. Brushing can disturb these and make the feather look lovely and whispy. Of course the choice is yours.

Step 3: Install the Writing Bit

Salvage a Biro cartridge from a cheap pen

Snip the base of the feather off so that you get a hole the same diameter as the cartridge

Push the cartridge up inside the feather, adding a spot of super glue just as the nib gets close

Step 4: Try It Out!

It's as simple as that!

Now try it out, and imagine yourself as a script to a medieval King or Queen

Thanks for reading my instructable. I hope you enjoyed it.

Cheers,

Mitch

Comments

[3366carlos]

nice, I live too far from the beach.

[LegoSurvivor]

You might get lucky and find a ravens feather on your lawn.

[Norwayborn2002]

i Love your idea with the modern quill pen. Keep it up! A side note would be to maybe incorporate the cap of the pen and maybe snip off the end of the pen so it’s more realistic.

[WOmadeOD]

Thanks. I'm sure that would work real well