CHAPTER II

ACQUIRING A FORMAL HAND: (1) TOOLS

Acquiring a Formal Hand: Tools, &c. — The Desk — Paper & Ink — Pens: _The Reed: The Quill_ — Of Quills generally — Pen-knife, Cutting-slab, &c.

ACQUIRING A FORMAL HAND: TOOLS, &C.

The simplest way of learning how to make letters is to acquire a fine formal hand. To this end a legible and beautiful writing (see p. 70) should be chosen, and be carefully copied with a properly cut pen.

_For learning to write_, the following tools and materials are required:—

Desk. Writing-paper. Ink and _filler_. Pens (Reed and Quill) with “_springs_.” [p049] Pen-knife, sharpening-stone, and _cutting-slab_. Magnifying glass. Two-foot (preferably _three-foot_) rule, and pencil. Linen pen-wiper.

THE DESK

[Illustration: ‹Fig. 14.›]

An ordinary desk or drawing-board can be used, but the best desk is made by hinging a drawing-board (“Imperial” size) to the edge of a table. The board may be raised and supported at any desired angle by a hinged support, or by a _round_ tin set under it (fig. 14). For a more portable [p050] desk two drawing-boards may be similarly hinged together and placed on a table (fig. 15).

[Illustration: ‹Fig. 15.›]

[Illustration: ‹Fig. 16.›]

A tape or string is tightly stretched—horizontally—across the desk to hold the writing-paper (which, as a rule, is not pinned on). The lower part of the writing-paper is held and protected by a piece of stout paper or vellum fixed tightly, with drawing-pins, across and over it (fig. 16). Under the writing-paper there should be a “_writing-pad_,” consisting of one or two [p051] sheets of blotting-paper, or some other suitable substance.[10]

It is a good plan to have the lower, front edge of the desk bevelled or rounded, so that the tail part of a deep sheet, which may hang below the table, does not become accidentally creased by being pressed against it. A curved piece of cardboard fixed on the edge will answer the same purpose.

PAPER & INK

For “practice” any smooth—not glazed—paper will do. For careful work a smooth _hand-made_ paper is best (pp. 103, 111).

A good, prepared, liquid (carbon) ink is best. It should be as black as possible, without being too thick. A jet-black ink will test the quality of the writing by “showing up” all the faults; “pale” or “tinted” inks rather conceal the faults, and lend a false appearance of excellence (p. 322). A thin ink greatly adds to the ease of writing (see _Addenda_, p. 23). Waterproof inks, as a rule, are too thick or gummy, and do not flow freely enough.

The ink-bottle is kept corked when not in use, to keep the ink clean and prevent evaporation. Thick or muddy ink should be put away: it is not worth while trying to use it.

A small brush is used for filling the pen.

PENS

A Reed or Cane pen is best for very large writing—over half an inch in height—and therefore [p052] it is of great use in studying pen strokes and forms.

[Illustration: ‹Fig. 17.›]

A Quill is best for smaller writing, and is used for all ordinary MS. work (pp. 54–60).

_The REED_[11] pen should be about 8 inches long.

I. One end is cut off obliquely (fig. 17).

[Illustration: ‹Fig. 18.›]

[Illustration: ‹Fig. 19.›]

II. The soft inside part is shaved away by means of a knife laid flat against it, leaving the hard outer shell (fig. 18).

III. The nib is laid, back up, on the slab (p. 61), and—the knife-blade being vertical—the tip is cut off at right angles to the shaft (fig. 19).

IV. A short longitudinal slit (_a_–_b_) is made by [p053] inserting the knife-blade in the middle of the tip (fig. 20).

[Illustration: ‹Fig. 20.›]

[Illustration: ‹Fig. 21.›]

[Illustration: ‹Fig. 22.›]

V. A pencil or brush-handle is held under the nib, and is gently twitched upwards to lengthen the slit (fig. 21). An ordinary reed should have a slit about 3/4 inch long. A very stiff pen may have in addition a slit on either side of the centre.

The left thumb nail is pressed against the back of the pen—about 1 inch from the tip—to prevent it splitting too far up (see also fig. 27).

VI. The nib is laid, back up, on the slab, and—the knife-blade being vertical—the tip is cut off at an angle of about 70° to the shaft, removing the first rough slit _a_–_b_ (fig. 22). [p054]

VII. A strip of thin metal (very thin tin, or clock spring with the “temper” taken out by heating and slowly cooling) is cut the width of the nib and about 2 inches long. This is folded into a “_spring_” (fig. 23).

[Illustration: ‹Fig. 23.›]

[Illustration: ‹Fig. 24.›]

VIII. The _spring_ is inserted into the pen (fig. 24).

The loop _a b c_ is “sprung” into place, and holds the spring in the right position. The loop _c d_, which should be rather flat, holds the ink in the pen. The point _d_ should be about 1/8 inch from the end of the nib.

_THE QUILL._—_A Turkey’s Quill_ is strong, and suitable for general writing. As supplied by the stationers it consists of a complete wing-feather, about 12 inches long, having the quill part cut for ordinary use. For careful writing it should be re-made thus:—

[Illustration: ‹Fig. 25.›]

I. The quill should be cut down to 7 or 8 inches (fig. 25); the long feather if left is apt to be in the way.

II. The “barbs” or filaments of the feather are stripped off the shaft (fig. 26). [p055]

[Illustration: ‹Fig. 26.›]

[Illustration: ‹Fig. 27.›]

III. The nib already has a slit usually about 1/4 inch long. This is sufficient in a fairly pliant pen; in a very stiff pen (see p. 60) the slit may be lengthened to 3/8 inch. This may be done with care by holding a _half-nib_ between the forefinger [p056] and thumb of each hand, but the safest way is to _twitch_ the slit open (fig. 27), using the end of another pen (or a brush-handle) as explained under _Reed_, V. (see p. 53).

IV. The sides of the nib are pared till the width across the tip is rather less than the width desired[12] (fig. 28).

[Illustration: ‹Fig. 28.›]

V. The nib is laid, back up, on the glass slab, and the extreme tip is cut off obliquely to the slit, the knife blade being slightly sloped, and its edge forming an angle of about 70° with the line of the shaft (fig. 29; see also fig. 36). [p057]

[Illustration: ‹Fig. 29.›]

[Illustration: ‹Fig. 30.›]

The shaft rests lightly in the left hand (not _gripped_ and not pressed down on slab at all), and the knife blade is entered with a steady pressure.

If the nib is then not wide enough it may be cut again; if too wide, the sides may be pared down.

Cut very little at a time off the tip of the nib; a heavy cut is apt to force the pen out of shape and spoil the edge of the nib.

VI. The nib should then be examined with the magnifying glass. Hold the pen, back down, over a sheet of white paper, and see that the ends of the two half-nibs are in the same straight line _a_–_b_ (fig. 30).

The nib should have an oblique chisel-shaped tip, very sharply cut (fig. 31).

A magnifying glass is necessary for examining a fine pen; a coarse pen may be held up against [p058] the light from a window—a finger-tip being held just over the nib to direct the eye (fig. 32).

[Illustration: ‹Fig. 31.›]

[Illustration: ‹Fig. 32.›]

[Illustration: ‹Fig. 33.›]

[Illustration: ‹Fig. 34.›]

A nib in which the slit does not quite close may be bent down to bring the two parts together (fig. 33). [p059]

Uneven or blunt nibs (fig. 34) must be carefully re-cut.

[Illustration: ‹Fig. 35.›]

VII. The _Spring_ (see _Reed_, VII.) (about 3/32 inch by 1-1/2 inch) is placed so that the point is about 1/16 inch from the end of the nib. The long loop should be made rather flat to hold plenty of ink (A, fig. 35)—neither too much curved (B: this holds only a drop), nor quite flat (C: this draws the ink up and away from the nib).

OF QUILLS GENERALLY

For ordinary use the nib may be cut with a fairly steep angle, as shown (magnified) at (_a_) (fig. 36).

[Illustration: ‹Fig. 36.›]

But it is better for fine, sharp writing that the angle be made very sharp: the knife blade is laid back (much flatter than is shown in fig. 29) and the quill is cut quite thin; the knife blade is then held vertical and the extreme tip of the nib is cut off sharp and true (_b_, fig. 36).

For large writing, the curved inside of the quill is pared _flat_ (_c_, _d_, fig. 36) [p060] to give full strokes. If the nib be left curved and hollow underneath (_e_), it is apt to make hollow strokes.

The pen may be made more _pliant_ by scraping it till it is thinner, or by cutting the “shoulder” (_a_–_b_, fig. 29) longer, or _stiffer_ by cutting the nib back until the “shoulder” is short.

Goose and Crow Quills (see p. 172).

The main advantages of a quill over a metal pen are, that the former may be shaped exactly as the writer desires, and be re-cut when it becomes blunt.

A metal pen may be sharpened on an oilstone, but the process takes so much longer that there is no saving in time: it is not easily cut to the exact shape, and it lacks the pleasant elasticity of the quill.

A gold pen is probably the best substitute for a quill, and if it were possible to have a sharp, “chisel-edged” _iridium_ tip on the gold nib, it would be an extremely convenient form of pen. A “fountain pen” might be used with thin ink.

PEN-KNIFE, CUTTING-SLAB, &C.

[Illustration: ‹Fig. 37.›]

_THE KNIFE._—Quill makers use a special knife. A surgical scalpel makes an excellent pen-knife. The blade should be fairly stout, as the edge of a thin blade is easily damaged. It should be ground almost entirely on the right side of the blade (fig. 37) and kept very sharp. [p061]

_THE SLAB._—A piece of glass (preferably white) may be used for fine quills; hard wood, bone, or celluloid for reed and cane pens.

_SHARPENING STONE._—A “Turkey” (fine) or “Washita” (fine or coarse grained) stone.

_MAGNIFYING GLASS._—A magnifying glass (about 1 inch in diameter) is necessary for examining fine pen nibs to see if they are “true.” A “pocket” glass is the most suitable for general use, and for the analysis of small writing, &c.

_RULE._—A 2, or 3-foot wood rule having brass strips let in to protect the edges, or a metal rule.

_LINEN PEN-WIPER._—A piece of an old linen handkerchief may be used to keep the pen clean.

##