Friday, August 24, 2012

Factoid of the day

The Chinese invented India Ink.

more Here and HERE.

soot or oak galls?

or if you prefer: A history of writing instruments.

the quill pen was first used in 700AD and usually you only used the feathers from the left wing.



The writing instrument that dominated for the longest period in history (over one-thousand years) was the quill pen. Introduced around 700 A.D., the quill is a pen made from a bird feather. The strongest quills were those taken from living birds in the spring from the five outer left wing feathers. The left wing was favored because the feathers curved outward and away when used by a right-handed writer. Goose feathers were most common; swan feathers were of a premium grade being scarcer and more expensive. For making fine lines, crow feathers were the best, and then came the feathers of the eagle, owl, hawk and turkey.

Video

No comments: