i used them in my first year in secondary school in the uk, in about 1962? we had an "ink monitor" who was a boy who went round re-filling the ink-wells, which were built into our desks. it was a horrible experience. a bit later we all got fountain pens, and much later even the most reactionary of teachers caved in and let us use biros.
Heh, kidding aside I have all the writing implements: glass dip pens, metal dip pens, quill, even some home-made experimental pens (the one made from a plastic drinking straw is actually pretty good).
Glass pens are okay and great to clean but of course there's zero flex in the nib so it's not one that I reach for very often.
A calligrapher in the BBC series on the history of writing makes one out of a Coke can. Some day I'll get around to trying that.
Copper? You was lucky! In my day we had mine our own ore and smelt it down.
JFYI:
doh! i meant "reservoir"!
ooh, this all seems like another world - i haven't thought about it in years!
In fairness, writing with a fountain pen encourages proper cursive handwriting, because it is far less physical effort. Disjointed handwriting is easier than cursive with a ballpoint, because you have to apply pressure the entire time you are writing or the ball won't roll and pick up ink.
I had two problems with fountain pens: firstly, good ones were expensive, and the other kids stole them. Secondly, even good ones leaked; boys aged 9-13 are very active, and don't take great care of their clothes. Most of my uniform clothes ended up with huge stains of blue-black ink.
They started with ink, it worked for them, so we obviously also had to.
For me it was even worse. My teachers argued that I must not use my Pelikan pen (all my classmates were on fountain pens) and write with pencil instead, because I was using to much force.
The most infuriating thing about it: I never saw a teacher using anything else than a regular pen. Strictly forbidden. Those were for grown ups.