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{{Short description|writing tool made from a feather}}
{{Other uses}} {{More citations needed|date=April 2016}}
[[File:קלף, נוצה ודיו.jpg|thumb|Quill and a parchment|321x321px]]
A '''quill''' is a [[writing tool]] made from a moulted [[flight feather]] (preferably a primary wing-feather) of a large [[bird]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Mugo|first=D. G.|last2=Muthwii|first2=S.|last3=Gakuru|first3=P. M.|date=September 2014
[[File:Out of ink.jpg|thumb|218x218px|Ink bottle and quill]]
As with earlier reed pens (and later dip pens), a quill has no internal ink reservoir and therefore needs to periodically be dipped into an inkwell during writing. The hand-cut goose quill is rarely used as a [[Western calligraphy|calligraphy]] tool any more, because many papers are now derived from [[Pulp (paper)|wood pulp]] and would quickly wear a quill down{{Citation needed|date=August 2021}}. However, it is still the tool of choice for a few scribes who have noted that quills provide an unmatched sharp stroke as well as greater flexibility than a steel pen.
==Description==
[[File:Pen and nibs, quill (AM 1965.105-7).jpg|alt=Picture of a quill nib.|thumb|218x218px|A nib cut from a bird's quill]]
[[File:3quills.jpg|thumb|Feathers in stages of being made into quills|218x218px]]
The shaft of a flight feather is long and hollow, making it an obvious candidate for being crafted into a pen. The process of making a quill from a feather involves [[Curing (chemistry)|curing]] the shaft to harden it, then fashioning its tip into a [[Nib (pen)|nib]] using a [[Penknife|pen knife]] or other small cutting tool.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Douglass|first=Paul|date=1950-10-01|title=How to Make your Own Goose Quill Pen|url=https://doi.org/10.1080/00119253.1950.10743022|journal=Design|volume=52|issue=1|pages=21–21|doi=10.1080/00119253.1950.10743022|issn=0011-9253}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Making a Feather Quill Pen|url=https://medievaljourney.com/2014/12/27/making-a-feather-quill-step-by-step-tutorial/|access-date=2021-08-03|language=en-US}}</ref>
A quill pen is in effect a hollow tube which has one closed end, and has one open end at which part of the tube wall extends into a sharp point and has in it a thin slit leading to this point.
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