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Okay, 'hate' is a bit much, I don't hate it, it's quite nice actually. The only thing that spoils it a bit for me is that the lines on the grid pattern are just a touch too strong - I like mine barely-there. And if you don't like grid at all, you're SOL when it comes to this notepad because the paper only comes in grid. There is a punch available (from Rakuten) but it only punches like one sheet at a time, not even business card thickness, so not something you could ever use to MYO refills. So, what to do? Get another A7(ish) wire bound notepad, cut off the rings to liberate the pierced paper, and bind it together with the lihit lab binding mechanism Here's the detailed how-to: You need: A pair of wire cutter pliers. Jewelry making weight should be all you need, no need to haul out the fence cutters Your Lihit Lab Twist Ring notepad (I'm calling it LL) Your refill notepad: it should be wire-bound in the twin-ring format, in a size that's about a7 - exact dimensions down to the mm are unimportant, it's the holes that matter most: the number and the spacing of them need to match the ones on the LL. I could go on in the abstract about how to do that by measuring, but really the most intuitive way to ascertain this is to get one sheet off the notebook you want to use to replace the aqua drops, and test it with the binding (that's step 1). Step 1: Make sure your paper fits the LL binding. Don't cut open the rings on your replacement notebook just yet, in case it turns out the holes don't match up - wouldn't want to destroy the binding only to find you can't reuse the loose sheets as a refill Start by separating one sheet from the notebook - to avoid getting the fluffed-out bits of paper where it was torn from the rings, don't tear it in the usual upward side to side motion, but pull outwards: Remove the extra bits that may still be stuck. Then just slide it up to the rings of the LL. This fits: This doesn't: Okay, you're all done with the tricky part Step 2: Liberate the paper. Cut open the rings with your wire cutter. Not much more to say than that - just go to town on the rings, it doesn't matter, all you need to do is make sure not to damage the paper and you're done. Step 3: Switcheroo Open the lihit lab and take the paper out - maybe the covers too if you want to ditch those. Replace with the liberated paper and covers from your other notebook, starting with the covers (one on each half of the open rings), then the paper. The only thing to mind here is not to overfill the LL. It takes less paper than most pocket A7 notepads, because the twist ring mechanism needs room to work. Done! Here's a list of the notepads I tried (because I had them on hand) and the results: These fit: Kokuyo CamiApp (note: if you want the Scanner feature to work you have to transfer the covers too because the black works as a frame for the app when you take the photo, otherwise it might not work). Midori Diamond Memo Small This didn't: maruman Mnemosyne 184 Roots (meh, this one sucks anyway - only one side printed, WTH?) If you try this, could you please list your results here? I would love to know how you got along as this is my first pen-related tutorial (hey, gotta start somewhere lol). I would also love to know if anyone tries this with any of the larger sizes of LL twist rings notebooks, like the B5 that Jetpens stock

For 76 years as a lefty I have been looking not only for shortcuts in the right handed world, but for methods that let me imitate the rest of the world. On my 76th Birthday I decided I would learn (note I do not say TRY to learn) Calligraphy. IN the past three months I have spent more time on the net looking for tools, books and methods on the net than in teal practice, although my day to day handwriting has progressed from 5th Grade delinquent to Sixth Grade needing practice. In a search for literature on the printed page I have only found two offerings that look at least basically beyond "then mirror the right handed movements. Both are by Margaret Shepherd whom I have e mailed with no success in gaining an answer during these holidays. I have found her two titles are both beyond my means in the used market, unless I skip a bunch of meals over a couple of months and use my community food bank to get basics, like pasta. The first book is "The Basics of Left-Handed Calligraphy" Which I have not found for under $80 andsecopnd is "The Left Handed Calligrapher," which seems to be a collections of alphabets adapted for we lefties. It runs over $40 in used condition. HAS ANYONE READ OR USED THESE BOOKS (left handed, but truly sinister or or not in modern parlance) and care to share an opinion on one or both as they might relate to an elderly inexperienced person with a desire to learn and practice, but not go into pain (either physical or emotional) or emotional because "It just don't work that way." I would like to know before I have to go on a severe diet of pasta and beans to get them -- or whether I should continue to muddle through my current no result producing frustrations. Thank you Gregg In Tucson, AZ where ink dries FAST!

After repenting from selling one several years ago, I just received a Tibaldi Iride fountain pen and pencil set. Also expecting the Trasparente from service repairs meanwhile. I gathered quite some info on these is thanks to kind fellow aficionados & user posts and reviews. Generally, I am really not interested in the boxes and other accompanying papers but rather to the pens themselves.However, the official info on these pens is at least to say scarce.Could anyone please publish a copy or just direct me to a link to the instructions, manuals and other paperwork that originally came with this edition of the Tibaldi pens (Iride, Trasparente, Bononia, Impero...)? Thanks in advance for the help and consideration. OL

Many people have asked when the book will be in print again. Well, it is now, and it is being mailed out. Fountain Pen Hospital, Classic pens, Five Star Pens and Pendemonium will shortly have copies for US customers. Personally signed copies can only be obtained from the authors. Please see www.penpractice.com for a list of contents, sample pages and procedure for obtaining a copy. Laurence

I wonder how many first-timers buy a fountain pen and stop using it because they don't know how? While I see introductory posts from people who say they've been using them since they were school-age, most of the world has not. To them, a fountain pen is either a mystery or it has a bad reputation ("they leak ink all over everything"). I held off getting a pen for a couple of months; a) because I was worried about appearing pretentious; and I didn't know how to get ink from the outside of the pen to the inside of the pen. I don't think the person who buys an FP casually is going go online and watch a bunch of videos. Either the manufacturer or the seller should make that unecessary. There are two places where the fountain pen industry industry fails people, in my opinion: 1-Companies do not include good instructions. I think these should cover the spectrum, from a brief overview of the new pen; how to use it (filling it, the best grip, etc.); to how to handle the most frequent problems. I think these should be crafted by a native speaker of the language in which they are written. I don't think this would take a big investment. Write them once, print many times. I expect a few pages would do it. 2- Test the pen before selling it. Make the pen enjoyable right out of the box. A few days ago, I posted that the Lamy EF nibs that I've tried were scratchy. Someone said they didn't agree with me, they said that after they tuned their EF nib using an online video for guidance, it worked great. Hello? That's like a car dealer selling you a car with the wheels out of alignment--"Don't worry buddy, there are You-Tube videos that will walk you right through it." I think the nibs should be tuned by either the manufacturer, or the dealer. I know that HisNibs.com and Richard Binder both do this. Maybe there are others. It's part of their customer service. Given that fountain pens are currently on the periphery of the writing instrument industry, I think they would do a lot better if they helped people make the transition painlessly. Get rid of the barriers to entry. Do you agree? What else could the FP industry do to make it easy for newcomers?