There are several secrets in this video for writing with quill and pen. Making ink is very interesting, secret ink even more so! Thanks to Brian Allison for his wonderful knowledge and hard work in helping to create these videos.
Letterlocking https://www.youtube.com/@Letterlocking/videos
Writing Accessories from Townsends https://www.townsends.us/collections/writing-accessories
This video is a compilation of videos made in 2019:
Turning A Feather Into A Pen https://youtu.be/k3aPOXkzNPk
The Secrets Behind Ink In The 18th Century https://youtu.be/P582srfq_14
We Didn’t Always Get Paper From Trees https://youtu.be/5fks4Vnu8P0
Creating Handwritten Letters in the 18th Century https://youtu.be/xxb-XqsgaqM
Spies, Espionage, And Secret Writing In 1770’s https://youtu.be/FVpkrRKphcU
See Brian’s website here ➧ http://brianspastpresence.com/ ➧➧
Historic Mansker’s Station ➧ http://www.cityofgoodlettsville.org/110/Historic-Manskers-Station ➧➧
Retail Website ➧ http://www.townsends.us/ ➧➧
Instagram ➧ townsends_official
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Hello from a medieval scribe! I've been making my IG ink with both red wine and red wine vinegar. I think fermenting and boiling the galls helps to intensify the black. Along with a pinch of alum, per an old recipe.
Amazing!!! 🎉🎉🎉 thanks for this wonderful share
Oh Brian is Mr.Darcy, so handsome
Goddayum man… I was born to discover this channel!
With so many people out there that want to change and rewrite our history, this channel is very important. Our history books are very important. Doesn't matter what side you are on or who you vote for. Those who try to change or erase our history are doomed to repeat it. Thank you Jon and everybody on Townsend!
I was watching a political video that was getting me down. Saw this in the recommended and knew to come over and get happy.
Does this channel have an official Tiktok account?
This is the video that brought me to this channel years ago! I don't know why you reposted, but I just had to watch it again and it's still great. Thank you, John!
Interesting
They dripped out this episode
Re-uploaded
Thanks for the instruction on quill pen making.
I live in the land of the Canada Goose and the Wild Turkey, so I have access to excellent feathers for half the year at least. I have also dabbled in calligraphy since I was a young man in the engineering department of a nuclear powered fleet ballistic submarine. You'd be surprised about some of the off duty hobbies submariners can pick up, especially ones that don't make a lot of noise. (In addition to calligraphy, I and some of my shipmates painted portraits and pictures of seascapes and the like on long patrols in both acrylic and oil paints.)
I've almost exclusively used steel nibs for calligraphy, especially when I make italic script cards and the like, and they are perfect for writing hands like copperplate, which I love to do.
As one thing that stand out – THERE WERE NONE left handed writers in the period(as shown in the intro). Everyone, 100% of people who knew how to write – were taught to write using right hand only. And yes – left-handed people were re-rought to use only the right hand. As an interesting sidenote – in USSR the same practice continued till late 80s – all of the children were taught to write using right hand only (i myself – was left handed, and then, during early school – was re-taught to be a right handed person)
That's exactly how we used to fold and address the notes we used to pass around in high school (without the sealing wax, of course).
I learned calligraphy in grade school as some sort of combo history/art lesson and it’s saved my butt a couple times making emergency money by picking up odd jobs.
I saw a Lucy Worsley program about Jane Austen, and she helped to make homemade ink similar to what Jane would have used. The recipe called for adding a bit of beer, and after you explained how alcohol helped prevent mold growth it now makes sense.
This was fascinating! I love these extra long videos for how much in-depth knowledge they contain. No matter the subject, hearing from an expert with a passion for their craft is so enjoyable.
It gives me chills when someone has knowledge of something this specific in such detail, especially when it all comes from something as personal as trying to “write like a pirate” as a child. What a wonderful video.
Drafting must have been quite the task considering all that had to be done even with normal writing. It'd be interesting to see historically accurate architectural/engineering draftsmen in action.
Fascinating
He's left handed! That was cool to see. Writing like that without smudging the ink on paper is a skill in and of itself.
I love using my handmade quills. I only wish I could get my walnut ink to be a bit thicker. I also have several different types of quill from a brass holder, to a fancy feather holder, and a handful of different size ends of my handmade ones. 🙂 Really enjoyed this video. I prefer goose feathers. I do leave mine for a long time before carving a point. That split is difficult. WOULD THE GUM ARABIC WORK WITH WALNUT INK?
Am I going crazy did you guys reupload this?
Great video! What was used for blotting powder, after writing the letter?
I wish my dad was still around, he would have loved this. He used calligraphy pens allot, and worked for the postal service.
Can you tell me what some Jane Austin books are talking about when they talk about the letter being turned sideways an interwritten?
I love this man's voice on the left.
He could probably do some amazing ASMR or High level Voice acting.
As a left handed person, I am highly impressed as to the technique he uses to write without smudging the ink.
I watched this when it originally came out. I loved this miniseries. Still do.
But if paper was that expensive what did Benjamin Franklin use and others for news paper
I never get tired of watching this 3 part series. My 5th great-grandfather, William Bowen, built this house, and my 4th great-grandfather was born in this house. The date Mr. Alison uses in his letter in the introduction is contemporary with my ancestors lives in that house.
howd he get joaquin phoenix to do this video with him?
I'm perplexed some by your methods. I enjoy writing with Flightwing Ostrich Plumes, in all their glory, keeping the quill attached to my hat when not being used as a writing instrument. But most importantly, is the shaft. I do not dip my quill in the ink briefly, as you did, I place my quill in & allow it to suck up ink several inches. In this manner, I can write 2 pages front & back, on A4 size parchment or laid paper. I do not use pounce, as I saw you use, but a rolling blotter.
3:58 not true oral history “professional historian”