As for you sharing a passion for fountain pens, that is super cool. There are several of us who share this passion, Mike is another π. Really amazing to know that you have been using fountain pens for over 50 years.
I grew up in the US so sadly fountain pens were never part of the curriculum. I developed a love for them at in my 20s and fell in DEEP when I discovered Japanese Urushi, Maki-E, and Chinkin as I appreciate the artisanal craftsmanship that dates back hundreds of years. These masters do everything by hand and it is just amazing to have something so special since the more elaborate designs take anywhere from a month to 6 months to make a single pen.
I even traveled to Japan a couple times to order and pick up a few pens directly from the master artisan himself which makes it that more special and adds to the emotional appeal and story. Although these are pens, I consider them "art" which doubles as a pen. We live in a digital age but with pens like these, it inspires me to write more by hand and that makes all the difference ππ