# How much can you write with a quill pen on a single ink-dip? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 19, 2016, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-can-you-write-with-a-quill-pen-on-a-single-ink-dip/749494 "2016-03-19T06:27:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jepflast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@jepflast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jepflast)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2016, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-can-you-write-with-a-quill-pen-on-a-single-ink-dip/749494/1 "2016-03-19T06:27:26Z")
A real quill pen made from a feather. No metal nib. Typical handwriting size. Load as much ink as you can. Could you get through, say, the alphabet? Twice? Would all such quills be roughly equal in this regard, or can larger quills draw a lot more ink? If so, what would be a reasonable upper bound on a quill pen? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2016, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-can-you-write-with-a-quill-pen-on-a-single-ink-dip/749494/2 "2016-03-19T08:00:38Z")
I made one once ([here](http://www.atomicshrimp.com/st/content/quill_pen)). I found that I had to dip once for each letter when writing large capitals. For writing small cursive it might have kept going for a six or seven letter word. A better made quill pen than mine might have been capable of more loading, but you’re still going to be dipping every word or so, or overloading it in which case the first letters will run and turn out blobby. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2016, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-can-you-write-with-a-quill-pen-on-a-single-ink-dip/749494/3 "2016-03-19T08:20:41Z")
Quill pens that do have the split down the middle tend to draw up more ink and so, last a little longer when writing. Not a lot, but some anyway! ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2016, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-can-you-write-with-a-quill-pen-on-a-single-ink-dip/749494/4 "2016-03-19T10:38:40Z")
True. I tried that and it splayed when I wrote. The mistake I made was to write with the split side upwards (like with a brass nib). Apparently with a quill, you use it split side down. Still you won’t get more than one or two words per dip. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2016, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-can-you-write-with-a-quill-pen-on-a-single-ink-dip/749494/5 "2016-03-19T12:04:08Z")
[This](http://www.learnnc.org/lp/multimedia/13234This) guy reckons about three to six words per dip. Anyone who looks at old documents will have noticed how they abbreviated a lot of words (text speech anyone?). George became Geo adding nd, rd, th to make ordinal numbers. The multiple latin abbreviations - et al, etc, @ for ‘at’. .M. for majesty Lo. for Lord Omission of ‘m’ or ‘n’. This is represented by a dash or wavy line written over the preceding vowel. The context will make it clear whether it is an ‘m’ or ‘n’. demād - demand Omission of ‘i’. This is represented by a dash or wavy line over the following ‘o’. commissōn - Commission [http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/palaeography/where\_to\_start.htm#abbreviations](http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/palaeography/where_to_start.htm#abbreviations) ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2016, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-can-you-write-with-a-quill-pen-on-a-single-ink-dip/749494/6 "2016-03-19T13:51:57Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > ``` > Omission of 'm' or 'n'. This is represented by a dash or wavy line written over the preceding vowel. The context will make it clear whether it is an 'm' or 'n'. > > ``` > > demd - demand This is how Spanish got its “ñ” character - root words like “anno” (year) were written with a double-n. Many ligatures and uses of diacrits derive from having to save on effort to write in tougher or more scarce media. And for a closer example just see the usages developed when texting and bandwidth are expensive and limited , or on Twitter. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2016, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-can-you-write-with-a-quill-pen-on-a-single-ink-dip/749494/7 "2016-03-19T19:13:41Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > [This](http://www.learnnc.org/lp/multimedia/13234This) guy reckons about three to six words per dip. Anyone who looks at old documents will have noticed how they abbreviated a lot of words (text speech anyone?) Qllspk. ---
**Author:** ![jepflast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@jepflast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jepflast)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2016, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-can-you-write-with-a-quill-pen-on-a-single-ink-dip/749494/8 "2016-03-20T05:36:52Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > [This](http://www.learnnc.org/lp/multimedia/13234This) guy reckons about three to six words per dip. Anyone who looks at old documents will have noticed how they abbreviated a lot of words (text speech anyone?). This link is not working for me. Great info, though! ---
**Author:** ![jepflast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@jepflast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jepflast)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2016, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-can-you-write-with-a-quill-pen-on-a-single-ink-dip/749494/9 "2016-03-20T05:46:27Z")
Thanks for the great replies, including some fascinating tidbits. I was asking because I’m writing an Interactive Fiction story where the hero needs to carry a plausibly-medieval writing implement that could handle 10-20 words. I was hoping a large quill might do it, since the history of the fountain pen I read on Wikipedia is a little unclear. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2016, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-can-you-write-with-a-quill-pen-on-a-single-ink-dip/749494/10 "2016-03-20T13:57:58Z")
Will your character carry a pounce pot too? Never used it myself, but apparently it was essential to dry the ink back then. > **[Pounce (powder)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pounce_%28calligraphy%29)** > > Pounce\[a\] or sand\[b\] is a fine powder, most often made from powdered cuttlefish bone or sandarac resin, that was used both to dry ink and to sprinkle on a rough writing surface to make it smooth enough for writing. This was especially needed if the paper came "unsized", that is, lacking the thin gelatinous material used to fill the surface of the paper and make it smooth enough for writing with a quill or a steel nib. It was also used to prepare the surface when drafting with Rapidograph pens on ... > [@](#): > > In the 19th century the pounce pots or sanders often had a shallow dish round the top so that pounce or sand could be returned to the pot and reused. The process is very effective for quickly drying ink, and although blotting paper has been available since Tudor times, pounce or sand continued to be used throughout the nineteenth century because it was often cheaper. ---
**Author:** ![Lasciel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e79b87/32.png) [@Lasciel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lasciel)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2016, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-can-you-write-with-a-quill-pen-on-a-single-ink-dip/749494/11 "2016-03-21T14:42:30Z")
Pounce pot isn’t strictly necessary tho - you could use local sand/dirt, or if you’re at an inn or someone’s house, you could borrow someone else’s, or in a real emergency, you just sit and wait it out, or use a bit of cloth to blot with (just have to write very large and clearly if you use cloth to blot). It DOES eventually dry even if you don’t do anything - just takes approximately eighty billion years. When I was messing around with quills and recreation stuff, if I wrote really tiny and in shorthand, I could get maybe half a sentence that I knew what it was, but no one else could really read or understand it. Even an early fountain pen (or even a good one with bad ink) isn’t going to get you 10-20 words in a realistic setting unless your character is a very skilled (and tiny-lettered) writer. Slate stick, chalk stick, or charcoal stick? All were used by artists, architects and tailors in their work. If you need it to be more permanent, then the marks were sealed by wax, grease, or hair pomade (essentially also either wax or grease, but smelled better). Double-leaved wax tablet and a stylus? Used by LOTS of people back then. It’s designed like the covers of a book with the wax sides folding up inside for protection and usually a parchment or cloth between them to keep them from sticking to each other. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2016, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-can-you-write-with-a-quill-pen-on-a-single-ink-dip/749494/12 "2016-03-23T17:49:16Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > I made one once ([here](http://www.atomicshrimp.com/st/content/quill_pen)). I found that I had to dip once for each letter when writing large capitals. For writing small cursive it might have kept going for a six or seven letter word. I notice you didn’t heat-treat your quill before cutting it. Heating (in sand) makes the quill stiffer and easier to cut. Also, the traditional double-cut shape helps with ink retention, even if you don’t put a reservoir in the shaft - but you should (this can even be made from another piece of shaft, but usually people use a strip of aluminium can). Cutting the tip into a chisel tip helps with ink beading, as well. A couple of words per dip is about all I’ve ever gotten out of a quill, which is why I use metal dip pens for calligraphy. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2016, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-can-you-write-with-a-quill-pen-on-a-single-ink-dip/749494/13 "2016-03-23T18:11:41Z")
> [@Lasciel](#): > > Double-leaved wax tablet and a stylus? Used by LOTS of people back then. It’s designed like the covers of a book with the wax sides folding up inside for protection and usually a parchment or cloth between them to keep them from sticking to each other. Never seen one with interleaving. Usually the wax doesn’t stick out past the tablet sides, so that stops them from rubbing together. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2016, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-can-you-write-with-a-quill-pen-on-a-single-ink-dip/749494/14 "2016-03-23T18:38:36Z")
> [@Lasciel](#): > > Even an early fountain pen (or even a good one with bad ink) isn’t going to get you 10-20 words in a realistic setting unless your character is a very skilled (and tiny-lettered) writer. Isn’t this the whole point of fountain pens? How early are you talking, here? Or do you mean those calligraphy pens with metal nibs but no ink reservoir? ---
**Author:** ![Lasciel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e79b87/32.png) [@Lasciel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lasciel)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2016, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-can-you-write-with-a-quill-pen-on-a-single-ink-dip/749494/15 "2016-03-23T19:57:52Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Never seen one with interleaving. Usually the wax doesn’t stick out past the tablet sides, so that stops them from rubbing together. Huh. I just saw others using them in re-enactments or as set dressings - maybe theirs weren’t made properly or they just stashed stuff in there to look visually interesting. Good to learn! > [@DrCube](#): > > Isn’t this the whole point of fountain pens? How early are you talking, here? Or do you mean those calligraphy pens with metal nibs but no ink reservoir? I was thinking about the second. I’m not up on dates for actual reservoir fountain pens - given the OP was talking about quills, I was guessing it was fairly early, so I was just thinking about how much more a metal nib with a bit of draw might give them. You’re right tho - I shouldn’t have called that a fountain pen - the brain isn’t as good as it could be. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-can-you-write-with-a-quill-pen-on-a-single-ink-dip/749494/16 "2016-03-24T07:14:52Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > I notice you didn’t heat-treat your quill before cutting it. Heating (in sand) makes the quill stiffer and easier to cut. I didn’t know that (my experiment was pretty poorly researched really). I might revisit it sometime and try that - thank you. I live near the coast, so I have access to a ready supply of cuttlebone, so I might also try making my own pounce. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-can-you-write-with-a-quill-pen-on-a-single-ink-dip/749494/17 "2016-03-24T08:42:54Z")
> [@Lasciel](#): > > I was thinking about the second. I’m not up on dates for actual reservoir fountain pens - given the OP was talking about quills, I was guessing it was fairly early, so I was just thinking about how much more a metal nib with a bit of draw might give them. You’re right tho - I shouldn’t have called that a fountain pen - the brain isn’t as good as it could be. They’re usually called “dip pens” ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-can-you-write-with-a-quill-pen-on-a-single-ink-dip/749494/18 "2016-03-24T08:52:34Z")
> [@Lasciel](#): > > Huh. I just saw others using them in re-enactments or as set dressings - maybe theirs weren’t made properly or they just stashed stuff in there to look visually interesting. I made 50 once (tiny 2"x3" ones) as site tokens for an SCA event. Not 100% period accurate (I used a router not a chisel so rounded corners) but they were filled with the right beeswax+lampblack mix, and since the hollows are only half-filled, no rubbing. They were supposed to replicate medieval shipping tags. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-can-you-write-with-a-quill-pen-on-a-single-ink-dip/749494/19 "2016-03-24T10:17:51Z")
This link may work better > **[learnnc.org](http://www.learnnc.org/lp/multimedia/13234)** > > This domain may be for sale! ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-can-you-write-with-a-quill-pen-on-a-single-ink-dip/749494/20 "2016-03-24T10:35:36Z")
Does the type of paper you’re writing on affect how many word/dip you can get? Something more porous take up more ink so have to reload sooner? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-can-you-write-with-a-quill-pen-on-a-single-ink-dip/749494.md?page=2)