Most people living in the 21st century hardly give any cerebration to theirpens . Maybe you grab whatever penitentiary is at hired man — the freebie from the bank or the last hotel you stayed in — if you even have to write at all . There are people who have preferent pens that they utilise in theirfavorite journals , and there are still lots of devotees of fountain pens .
But you never meet fans of quill pen pen anymore . Thomas Jeffersonwas say to besuch a fanof flight feather pens that he keptwhite geeseat Monticello for the role of supply feathers for his flight feather . He wrote something like20,000 lettersduring his lifespan , so it makes common sense that he ’d want a flock of geese around to provide him with muckle of writing instruments .
So why are n’t we all scrub out at our notebook with feather - found penitentiary ?
First , you have to get the feathers from the goofball . domesticate white geese are the pet bird for writing flight feather , as their feathers are big enough to hold well , and they can take quite a number of ink . Raven and crowfeathers work on for small , okay hand , and peacock plume can also shape in position of fathead feathers . But countenance ’s be real : If you do n’t have geese around , it ’s unlikely you have peacocks .
If you feel plumage from other large razzing like eagles and turkey , those will function too . Of course , bald eagles are protectedunder the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act , so you definitely do n’t want get get plucking their feather .
Thefive large wing feathersof the goose are usually plucked once a twelvemonth , in the spring , for give pen . The feathers curve along the construction of the wing , so they ’ll kink in your hand as your write too . Right - handed citizenry commonly favor feathers from the correct offstage , and exit wings are usually for left - handers .
So that ’s 10 quills per jackass , which seems pretty good , until you realize that quills do n’t last very long , maybe a weekor so . ( And writing with your left hand was view gauche at better during the quill ’s efflorescence , so that ’s five feathers go to waste . )
Fountain pens and dip pensdid be in Jefferson ’s twenty-four hour period , but they were n’t perfect either . The inks used at the time were verycorrosive , so metal beak would be eaten out by the ink . Jefferson noted that atomic number 79 beak stood up to these burden better , but atomic number 79 was — and still is — very expensive .
Thomas Jefferson FAQ
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