That sounds a bit 'zen' (...though I should think it seemed like a chore at the time...) and 1950 was the same year Bich launched his cheapo version of the Biro.

I'm a bit nostalgic for those ink wells and was probably in the last cohort at my school who still used fountain pens and filled them from ink wells sunken into the desks - but only for tests and exams. By then, though, the ink came in flagons from the stationer.

Thanks, Albert, for taking the time to comment.