How Do You Make A Quill Pen?

First you need a feather. Ideally a goose feather if you want to be 100 per cent authentic. A duck or pheasant feather will also do.

Since large bird feathers are not something you encounter every day, most of us won't collect our own feathers but purchase them from an arts and crafts shop.

The easiest way to make your own authentic quill pen is to dip the stalk of the feather into boiling water for two or three seconds to soften it up. After removing from the water, dry the feather off and then make a horizontal cut across the root with a very sharp knife or scalpel. With the tip of the knife, carefully clear away from the cut any gunky material that appears.

To form the nib make two diagonal cuts that come to a point. The tricky bit is the small vertical slit of approximately 10mm that needs to be made from the point.

Left-handers should note that feathers from the right wing will be easier to handle. Most feathers on sale tend to be from the first five flight feathers from the left wing, the curve suiting right-handers best.