Quill

A quill is a writing tool made from a moulted flight feather of a large bird. People used quills for writing with ink before they had dip pens, fountain pens, and ballpoint pens.

Like the older reed pen, a quill does not hold ink inside. It must be dipped into an inkwell while writing. Some special writers still use quills today. They like quills because they can make very sharp lines and write in many different ways.

Description

A quill is a writing tool made from a bird's feather. The feather's long, hollow shaft makes it perfect for turning into a pen. To make a quill, the feather is dried or treated with hot sand or ashes to harden it. Then, the tip is shaped into a writing point using a sharp tool.

The hollow part of the feather acts like a small ink holder. Ink moves to the tip through a tiny cut in the feather, so the writer only needs to dip the pen into ink now and then. When made properly, the quill keeps its shape well and doesn’t need much sharpening.