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