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]).
VIII. The spring is inserted into the pen (fig. [24]).