As far as I know a quill (feather tip) was first used by navies for quick firing on the roll of the deck when sighting a target .
They would not cut barefoot sailors feet like some friction type metal primers . After use they would be laying about , the quills are softer then metal primers .
They are easy to make and have come up several times B4. They go off instantly BANG like a fire cracker .
We could tell you how to do it ..... But if there is an easy way to search if could be brought back up . It would save a lot of keystrokes .
Gary