[Scriptoris] Flight feather characteristics+Bonus tips

[Elaine]

Thanks, Hillary. Once in a while Half Price Books has a DJ copy of  
the excellent book you recommend.

Here's some more info that can be shared:

The problem with identifying flight feathers:
A lot of mundane people have never really looked at a feather because  
they aren't an artist who is going to make a tool of it. They think  
the barbs of all feathers are the same on both sides of the rib. The  
tail feather is a good example of that idea. Tail feathers are good  
for dusting applied sandarac off a vellum piece that is going to be  
scribed.
; - )

Here's your SCA scribes' Sherlock Holmes tip:
For the wing feathers, look for one side to have a wider barb on one  
side and a smaller one on the other. The narrow one is the one that  
faces ahead when the bird is flying. That is the way you can  
distinguish a wing feather and also figure out which side of the bird  
that feather came from.

Bonus tips:
1. Quill nibs do NOT like to sit in ink. They will splay, and the  
tips move to leave a gap. Because of that, Period "secretaries" would  
prepare and cut 50 to 60 quills for ONE day's work, would you believe?

2. Reed nibs DO like to sit in ink to absorb enough to make several  
strokes before needing a refill. I have even scribed bigger letters  
with popsicle sticks and tongue depressors, with the end bevelled to  
get the "thins" as a true "thin." Those like to sit in the ink, too.

3. A question mark-formed, narrow strip reservoirs can be cut from a  
soda can and inserted in to the de-pithed, aged rib, touching just  
short of the nib tip. The bulge is nearest the paper to be scribed,  
and its curled top touches the upper end of the nib part of the rib.  
You will have to work to get the shape and the tension right so the  
reservoir is wedged enough to not fall out, but loose enough to let  
the ink through at a decent rate. Nit-picky, but worth it in dip- 
times. After a few times fiddling with it you will get the hang of it  
and next time it won't be such a task. Just hang in there and  
learn. ; - )

YIS,
Lete (mka Elaine)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On Jan 13, 2012, at 10:56 AM, Hillary Greenslade wrote:

> Thanks Elaine, good review and tips.
> The best article I've found is the chapter written by Donald  
> Jackson in the book 'The Calligrapher's Handbook', you guys can get  
> it at John Neal Books.  The book is loaded with articles on gold  
> leaf, calligraphy, inks, pigments - it's a collection of articles  
> from the British scribes guild newsletters.  A must have for one's  
> library.
>
> One problem with collecting feathers moulted from the ground, you  
> can't tell easily if it's one of the 5 strong flight feathers, but  
> you can test it for strength and look to see if the barrel is the  
> size required.  I want to make a dutching tool by Gulf Wars so we  
> can try it out, not something one can buy of the shelf these days.
>
> Cheers, Hillary
>
> From: Elaine <eshc at earthlink.net>
> To: Hillary Greenslade <hillaryrg at yahoo.com>; "Scribes within  
> Ansteorra - SCA, Inc." <scriptoris at lists.ansteorra.org>
> Sent: Friday, January 13, 2012 5:57 AM
> Subject: Quills and problems....
>
> From what I understand, parasites can also be frozen for a term in  
> a baggie in the freezer.
>
> Another point is that the best feathers of a bird (different birds  
> for different sized lettering, as in crow quills for small  
> lettering, swans for the big stuff) are the first 5 flight  
> feathers, the big ones. Think of seeing a hawk in flight and the  
> feathers that look like fingers at the end of the wings.
>
> The shape of the way the curve that wraps around the bird's body is  
> also important for the way the quill lays comfortably across the  
> hand between the thumb and forefinger. Left bird wing feathers for  
> a right handed scribe; right bird wing feathers for a left-handed  
> scribe. Using the correct wing for the scribe's hand means the  
> scribe doesn't have to "fight" the quill's wanting to malevolently  
> rotate while you are concentrating on lettering.
>
> Cut the quill's nib and then, about 8 inches from that point, chop  
> off the de-barbed quill. Look at all the woodcut pictures of  
> scribes working. There are no barbs on the quill at all. That  
> business of long, barbed quills is sheer Hollywood, and we of the  
> SCA know how really accurate all the Period movies portray the life  
> and times of that era, right? I found Hollywood quills tickle my  
> nose and get in the way when the lettering is being done just in  
> front of my face, the place the surface is supposed to be.
>
> You might also want to look up "dutching" the quill, as described  
> in articles by the national, mundane calligrapher George Yanagita.  
> Makes for nicer nibs  and , for me, better lettering, from those  
> nibs I have used which were "dutched."
>
> Best of all efforts to you.....
>
> YIS,
> Lete
>
>
> On Jan 12, 2012, at 5:55 PM, Hillary Greenslade wrote:
>
> > Hi all,
> > In reference to Biau-douz's comments about goose feathers,
> > if you do collect some moulted feathers, it's best if they fell  
> off the wing naturally, rather than feathers still connected to the  
> wing's, as in during hunting season - I've read feathers are very  
> difficult to remove when still attached, without damaging the  
> barrel of the feather, the part we want for calligraphy use.  So,  
> best to collect those found by the lakes and zoo's, as they drop -  
> you want good size barrel widths, as from flight feathers, not tiny  
> feathers.
> >
> > If you do collect natural feathers, you want to remove parasites:
> > - wash in hot water
> > - put in a sealed plastic bag in a warm room (attic, hot car) for  
> several days or weeks to suffocate bugs.
> > - put in a sealed plastic bag with several cotton balls wet with  
> acetate (fingernail polish remover) to suffocate bugs.
> >
> > Don't worry about damage done to feather barbs, they are usually  
> removed from quills anyway, we don't care about 'pretty', rather  
> function.
> >
> > Cheers, Hillary
> >
>
>
>