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From Keset Hasofer- (The inkwell of the scribe): "On every occasion one must check that the kulmus is well-formed [lit. nice]. Some say that one must write [only] with a quill [made] from a reed and not from a feather, but we do not adhere to this custom rather we write with a feather, and even with a quill made of iron" (This is very strange ruling and not the case at all as one is not to use metals that are used for warfare in sofrut, however Rashi also mentions the use of metal pens so this must have permissible at some time in the past)" And there is some doubt as to if it permissible to write with a feather from an unclean bird."
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Scribes by and large use quills (though some Sefardi scribes will use a reed (which are sometimes referred to as "calamus")).
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Below are the various stages in the preparation of a quill and writing with a quill is very different indeed to any calligraphy pen one may have used. Most common are the leading edge feathers of the turkey, the goose and the swan, though the latter is harder to source. One needs sharp cutting tools and sharp steel "Stanley" knife, a scalpel and a loose knife blade for the final cut are pre-requisites. Some people will heat their quills to harden and clarify them (remove the natural oils) but this is not absolutely necessary. The simplest method is to position the quill about 5cms above a hot plate and rotate it for about ten seconds (too long an exposure will render the quill too brittle). However there are other methods involving plunging the quill into hot sand!
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1. Strip the plumes with a firm grip and downward pressure to remove them. (Sorry to spoil the illusions but those pictures of scribes using barbed quills are misleading. Leaving the barbs there makes the quill very difficult to use).
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Scrape off the outside quill sheathing that coats the feather with the back of a knife. Try to get it all off the cutting end or it will not cut cleanly.
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