Can I Fit Bigger or Smaller Rings?

'Can I fit bigger rings to my Make X Model Y in Size Z?' Is a question I am often asked.

People start the year and as the year progresses so the amount of paper they are carrying increases etc. I'm sure you know the story well.

The answer is 'Yes' and 'No' !

Why you might ask... well let's look at the mechanics of rings.

Rings are available in a variety of sizes and often in gold and silver. In the past they were painted/powder coated a few different colours as well.

Image Source - Van der Spek

The different sizes of organiser and different ring sizes result in different dimensions for the mounting points of the rings on to the base plate. As you can see below Standard (Personal) uses the same base plates for both 25 and 30mm rings. Likewise Senior (A6) uses the same for 20 and 25mm as well as the Gillio 23mm A6 rings.

Sadly, on Junior (Pocket) size they have different mounting point dimensions for the 16 and 20mm rings. Therefore you can't easily upgrade a pocket from 16mm to 20mm rings. You would have to do some surgery to remove the backplate and replace it with the correct one. Not impossible, but you would need to be reasonably skilled to do this sort of work, to re-stitch the exterior and interior leather back together again.

As you can see some conversions are reasonably easy to do 25mm -> 30mm on Standard (Personal/Medium) size are more or less a straight swap.

However, this is where an element of 'No' you can't swap the rings comes in.

Whilst they will physically fit the back plate and work etc, there might be an issue with the space left for the pages, increasing the ring size by 5mm in the above example, means that the thickness of the organiser might be increased by 5mm and the edge pages are moved 5mm closer to the outer edge of the organiser.

That said in some cases the designer obviously considered the larger ring size and the cover is 'bigger'  than the normal size of rings and therefore some can take the larger rings without the pages/tabs sticking out beyond the edge of the organiser.

Is there a list of ones that can take bigger rings? Not as such, but a simple way of telling is to measure the distance from the middle of your paper stack in the organiser to the edge of the organiser when closed. The middle being the highest part of the curve of the rings and is therefore closer to the edge.

Also be aware of the top or the bottom of your stack of pages getting closer to the pen loop if there is one.

Another way of creating the additional space to allow for the increase in ring size is to go from using side tabs to top/bottom tabs.

Going down in ring size say from 30mm to 25mm isn't a problem as long as the ring mounting points are the same, you just need to exchange the rings over. And if you are careful removing the rings you can reverse the change easily should you want to go back to the original size.

I hope that helps and answers your questions, if not please leave a comment below and I will try to respond to your questions as quickly as possible.

Looking after your personal organiser

Now is as good a time as any to give your organiser a little T.L.C. I tend to do this at least once a year or when I'm swapping from one organiser to another one for a bit of variety. 

Step 1. - Remove all of the inserts and dividers and contents of the pockets. Put them to one side for now. 

Step 2. - Inspect the rings, checking for gaps. Open and close them a few times. Give them a light polish with a micro-fibre cloth, this will remove any dirt and grime and make them look like new again. 

Step 3. - Use a  small soft bristle paint brush to dust the interior of the organiser. The brush will reach in to all the nooks and crannies and remove any build up of paper dust that seems to come off of cut/punched paper. 

Step 4. - If the organiser is leather, consider giving it some leather cleaner/balm treatment. Use it sparingly though, don't use too much. Again use a micro-fibre cloth to buff the finish to a pleasant shine. Always read the instructions first. 

For simulated leather organisers give them a wipe with alcohol-free baby wipes. The cloth sections on the interior can be gently cleaned with small amount of fabric or upholstery cleaner. Test any products first on an inconspicuous area. 

Leave it open to breath after the treatment. 

Step 5. Turning to the inserts. Go through them and see if there are any pages that need archiving or updating. Check the paperwork and accessories you have been carrying too. 

Check that the pens aren't about to run out of ink, also check them for internal leaks too. 

Links:

• The Philofaxy Guide to Caring for your Organiser
• Leather Care Tips
• The Perfect Organiser - Part 4 [Leather] - for information about the different types of leather.
• Ring Mechanism Parts Explained.
• Can I Fit Bigger or Smaller Rings? 
• Fixing Ring Gaps and Other Issues
• Clean Out Your To-Do List for Guilt-Free Productivity

Enjoy the process. 

Krause, Bensons, Koloman Handler, Ring Alliance ring mechanisms?

If you have bought a non-Filofax branded organiser in the last few years what make of rings it is fitted with can be a bit of a puzzle. 

The ring mechanism as we know it now has been around since about 1915 in one form or another. The only major change has been the grouping of the rings so that they all open at once rather than the groups of 3 rings opening separately. See my earlier post on this. 

The ring mechanism wasn't just used for organisers, it was widely used and still is in a wide range of sizes and configurations, with varying number of rings used 2, 4, 5, 6, 7 etc. 

For something that has been in production so long it isn't surprising that there have been a few company name changes in over 100 years of production. 

Starting with Koloman Handler GmbH in Austria who started with 'book corners' They are credited in 1915 of the invention of the first ring mechanism.

By 1917 in Germany the company Walter Liebhold KG was founded, it was later to be renamed Robert Krause GmbH and Co KG, initially they made metal parts for drive belts and furniture locks. 

In 1922 Koloman Handler had established a production plant in Vienna to make ring binder mechanisms. 

In UK in 1923 Bensons was established by the Bennet Family and sons hence the name Bensons. 

In 1950 Walter Liebhold started production of ring binder mechanisms. 

The 1970's, 80's and 90's saw a lot of change in the ring mechanism makers. 

Bensons got sold to Esselte in 1976, they were an office supply company and are now part of the Acco group of companies. 

As volumes increased and production costs increased. Between 1985 and 1988 Koloman Handler outsourced its production to a facility in Hungary, whilst Bensons sent it's production to facilities in Singapore and Malaysia. They were to move production again to China in 1993 and then selling their production facilities by 1996.

1992 saw the establishment of the Hungarian subsidiary of Koloman Handler with automated production starting at the Hungarian plant in 1995. 

After 3 generations of family-ownership, Koloman Handler GmbH is sold to a financial group in 1998.

Moving in to the 2000's. Ring International Holdings AG (Austria) acquired Koloman Handler (GmbH) and it's Hungarian production facility and we see 'Ring Alliance' established as a trading name. 

Bensons joined the Ring Alliance in 2002 and now sells in the Netherlands, UK, France, USA and Singapore. 

All of Koloman Handlers production was moved to Hungary in 2003.

By 2016 Krause, Bensons, Koloman Handler are effectively all one company under Ring Alliance, owned by Ring International AG, who also own a variety of other companies producing a wide variety of products.

The 'Ring Alliance' product catalogue has all manner of ring mechanisms and stationery accessories in it for you to look at. The have all the different types of ring mechanisms (Pull open, Finger trigger, Lever arch, and others) 

Fascinating to discover how we got to where we are today! 

Even if your ring mechanism doesn't have one of the well known brand names on it, there is a strong possibility that it was made in Hungary or one of the overseas factories. Ring Alliance supply in units of 1000 mechanisms, and will engrave your company name on to the top plate for you. 

Historical source: https://www.ring-alliance.com/history/ 

Which Filofax Organisers Have Krause Style Rings?

Which Filofax organisers are fitted with Krause style rings? Ones that can removed and replaced? 

This question came up recently. I'm not aware of a listing of which models have Krause style rings. Therefore I think we should create one. 

I will add a further qualification to the question though, whilst some of the recent models such as the Classic Croc have non-riveted ring mechanisms they instead use the PXR style mechanism which are very securely mounted on the backing plate. This makes them difficult to remove and also to replace them because finding replacements is not easy, unless you know different. 

To create this list we need your help. Please comment below with the name of the model and the approximate year and include if the ring mechanism is riveted in or it has a plain top cover which would suggest a Krause style mechanism is used. 

To get us started here are some popular models:

• Malden - Riveted
• Finsbury - Riveted
• Winchester - Krause Style
• Chameleon - Riveted
• Domino - Riveted through the spine
• Fusion - Riveted
• Belmont - Krause Style
• Holborn - Riveted
• Sandhurst - Krause Style
• Cavendish - Krause Style
• Kensington - Krause Style
• Eton - Krause Style
• Cuban - Riveted
• York - Krause Style

Thank you for your help. 

Removing/Replacing Rings

Removing rings from your Filofax to then use it as a notebook cover seems to be very in vogue at the moment. The reasons for doing so are mixed and you will have your own ideas as to why this is a good idea or not. 

Removing rings using some methods is not a reversible process, if a month or so later you decide that a bound planner isn't for you and you want to go back using rings then you might have to buy a new organiser because the rings you removed are no longer fit to be reused. 

In the case of riveted in rings on say a Filofax Malden, the only way to remove them is to drill out the rivets. The only way to reinsert the rings is to then look for a set that bolt in and you will have to have the blind domed headed bolts on the outside of the spine. Not terrible but certainly not acceptable to some people. 

Krause rings or a similar design of removable rings were not designed originally with the idea of them being put in and taken out of the organiser on a frequent basis. The design originates from over a hundred years ago! 

Alternative designs do exist of course, the rings used in Moterm and Franklin Planners are held in with a small screw fastener, making them much easier to change. 

Unfortunately there are videos on You Tube on how to remove rings that in my opinion, use methods that are fairly destructive and result in the mechanisms being damaged to the point you wouldn't be able to reuse them. That's fine if you never want to use the rings again, or they were damaged beyond repair anyway and you have a new set to go in. 

Before we get too far in to explaining why I don't recommend some methods and how to do it with the minimum of risk in damaging the rings or the organiser, let us recap on the names of the parts of the ring mechanism. 

A picture saves a thousand words! 

The cover plate is not only there for decorative purposes, it actually holds the tabs in when the rings are open. It is only made of thin metal and it is easily damaged. If you bend it too much it will end up with creases in it. 

When pulling the rings apart to remove them, once the cover is off, try to pull evenly with rings 3 and 4, this spreads the load. I've seen some people only pull one pair of rings apart and that might result in the mechanism becoming twisted and therefore having gaps if you try to reassemble them. 

Another flawed method is to prise the rings off the mounting lugs, this can not only damage the leather but it will bend or even break the mounting lugs if extreme force is used. Please don't do it! 

Videos with methods I don't recommend or support:

• How To Remove Krause Rings From Filofax which copies a method started with this next one
• Gillio Planner Firenze - Changing rings 

After seeing that last one from 9 years ago. I devise my own more mechanically sympathetic methods which you will see used in these two videos:

• Changing the ring mechanism - one of my very early videos
• Ring Mechanisms - Removing and Installing Krause Rings - similar method but more hints and tips.

If looked after and not abused a set of rings should last a lifetime. 

If you have any problems with replacing rings just get in touch with me steve at philofaxy dot com and we can arrange to connect to solve the issues.  

Organiser Maintenance Tips

Now is as good a time as any to give your organiser a little T.L.C. I tend to do this at least once a year or when I'm swapping from one organiser to another one for a bit of variety. 

Step 1. - Remove all of the inserts and dividers and contents of the pockets. Put them to one side for now. 

Step 2. - Inspect the rings, checking for gaps. Open and close them a few times. Give them a light polish with a micro-fibre cloth, this will remove any dirt and grime and make them look like new again. 

Step 3. - Use a  small soft bristle paint brush to dust the interior of the organiser. The brush will reach in to all the nooks and crannies and remove any build up of paper dust that seems to come off of cut/punched paper. 

Step 4. - If the organiser is leather, consider giving it some leather cleaner/balm treatment. Use it sparingly though, don't use too much. Again use a micro-fibre cloth to buff the finish to a pleasant shine. Always read the instructions first. 

For simulated leather organisers give them a wipe with alcohol-free baby wipes. The cloth sections on the interior can be gently cleaned with small amount of fabric or upholstery cleaner. Test any products first on an inconspicuous area. 

Leave it open to breath after the treatment. 

Step 5. Turning to the inserts. Go through them and see if there are any pages that need archiving or updating. Check the paperwork and accessories you have been carrying too. 

Check that the pens aren't about to run out of ink, also check them for internal leaks too. 

Links:

• The Philofaxy Guide to Caring for your Organiser
• Leather Care Tips
• The Perfect Organiser - Part 4 [Leather] - for information about the different types of leather.
• Ring Mechanism Parts Explained.
• Can I Fit Bigger or Smaller Rings? 
• Fixing Ring Gaps and Other Issues
• Clean Out Your To-Do List for Guilt-Free Productivity

Enjoy the process. 

Krause and Moterm Rings

This is an update of a post I did about 5 years ago, a few things have changed in that time, these changes are reflected in this post. 

Krause rings are considered to be the best available. I use them in all my 'expensive' organisers 

When they haven't come fitted with Krause rings I've fitted them myself. It is a relatively easy job to do. With the right tools and the skills it only takes a few minutes to swap out the old rings and install the new ones.

I did this video a while ago which shows the essential things you need to know about changing rings.

I have also done a more recent video, which builds on the experience of changing lots of these rings. 

Until recently obtaining Krause rings wasn't a simple task... all that has changed though.

Van der Spek have now made the Krause rings available to order on their web shop.  All Van der Spek organisers come fitted with Krause rings including their excellent 'Touch Me' range.  You will find Krause rings in the Accessories section of the Van der Spek website here

Petra has supplied this useful photo of the rear side of each mechanism so you can compare them to the ones you already have to make sure they will fit your organiser. 

Points worth noting as follows:

• Junior is the same as Filofax Pocket and Gillio Pocket (same spacing as well). 
• Please note that the 20/25mm pocket rings are not interchangeable with the 16 mm pocket rings, the mounting points are a different distance apart. Therefore to use the 20 or 25mm rings the internal mounting plate would need to be changed as well. 
• Senior is the same as Mulberry Agenda and used for A6 organisers including the Gillio A6.
• Standard is the same as Filofax Personal and Gillio Medium
• A5 is the same as Filofax/Gillio A5, but note the three mounting points with the latch in the middle. Older A5's had only 2 mounting points not three as in this current design. 

Gold rings are available at extra cost because they are gold plated to order or they get them done in small batches. 

Thank you to Petra Van der Spek for the photographs and for making the rings available on their web site.

For details of the full range of Van der Spek products see their site.

If your organiser isn't fitted with this type of ring mechanism, there are some alternatives available. 

If you have a ring mechanism that is riveted on the following type might be a suitable bolt on replacement. 

I have bought some Moterm Ring Mechs via AliExpress, they are acceptable quality and the cost including shipping is very reasonable. 

You will need to check the spacing of the securing rivets compared to the Moterm bolting points. They are very easy to fit once you have removed the old rings. 

You will find the details here: AliExpress Moterm

If you do have to make new holes to fit the Moterm rings, you could fill the old holes with a similar type of domed nut and bolt arrangement, similar to the ones that Moterm supply to fit their rings. See the picture below. 

Moterm rings with their fixings, very easy to attach. 

What ever sort of ring mechanism you have, if you have any questions about them and this post hasn't answered your questions. Drop a comment down below or email me steve at philofaxy dot com and I will do my best to help you out. 

Opening and Closing Your Organiser Rings Correctly.

Are all opening and closing the rings correctly? I'm sure some of us have been watching You Tube videos and seen people pull the rings open with their fingers! 

To ensure that you don't damage the ring mechanism on your Filofax personal organiser, always use the tabs at the ends of the ring mechanism to open the rings. Place your organiser on a firm surface and press evenly on both tabs at the same time.

Do not under any circumstances pull the rings open using the rings themselves; this could result in the internal mechanism becoming damaged.

Opening the rings

Closing the rings

To close the rings use your fingers on either sides of both sets of rings with a light even pressure and the rings should snap shut. Be careful to not trap your fingers in the closing rings.

The mechanism does not require any routine maintenance or oiling, just an occasional wipe with a soft dry cloth will keep the metal clean and rust free.

Ring Mechanism Tabs

The tabs on the ring mechanism are those parts at the each end of the mechanism that you push down on to open the rings. 

Here is a ring mechanism with the top cover removed to show the inner details of the mechanism. The top cover actually holds the tabs in place as well as making the mechanism look more attractive to look at! Without the top cover in place the tabs might fall out when the rings are open. 

If we zoom in now on one of the tabs. The two lugs on each of the tabs go through the rectangular holes in the ring base plates (The plates that the rings are attached to). In the closed position you will notice little or no movement in the tabs. 

When you push down on the tabs, this results in a small upward movement at the opposite end of the tab. That upward movement pushes the ring plates up and the rings open. In the open position you should find that the tabs are quite loose. 

Here are the tabs themselves. The two outer lugs are the ones you see in the photos above and the larger central lug is the bit that pushes upwards when you press down on the tabs to open the rings. 

You can't close the rings by using the tabs, only open them. However, sometimes when you close the rings with your fingers a tab can get partially stuck and that can then hold the rings slightly open, causing gaps in the rings. 

If you see this, lift the two tabs upwards to see if that solves the problem. In addition check that the top cover hasn't moved, as that can impede the movement of the tabs or the rings themselves. 

A simple check is to open and close the rings a few times and see if that frees things up a bit. 

I have been asked in the past if the ring mechanism needs any lubrication. The only thing this will do will be to prevent parts from rusting, generally the parts aren't under any stress and the movement is so small that lubrication will not normally be necessary. However, a small 'squirt' of WD40 or similar will not do any harm, just don't over do it and make sure you wipe off any excess with a paper towel otherwise it might stain the leather/fabric covering of the organiser. 

On ring mechanisms that can be taken apart like the ones above, I usually apply a small amount of vaseline to assist in reassembling the rings, but again I'm careful to wipe off any excess before reattaching the ring mechanism to organiser back plate. 

As always if you have any problems with ring mechanisms that you haven't been able to solve yourself please feel free to contact me. 

The Philofaxy Guide to Caring for your Organiser

This is the first of a new series of Philofaxy Guides. We hope to cover a variety of other organiser related topics in the future months. We will also revisit these topics and republish updated versions over time too. We will include links to our own previous posts as well as external sites that we think are relevant to the topic. 

Anita and I thought we would start off with 'Caring for your organiser' as it is such a frequent topic with questions coming up on social media every week that we both get to respond to. 

Cared for, your organiser can potentially last for many decades and still provide excellent service many years after you purchased it. 

Let us break down your organiser and look at the various parts that need a little TLC from time to time. 

The Cover

The cover of your organiser is one of the parts that has to battle against the elements the most to protect your pages from being damaged. 

The cover can be made from a variety of materials or combinations of materials. 

Leather is a popular choice because of it's resistance to wear and tear, but over time it can become a little 'battle scarred if it is put in and out of a bag along with a lot of other 'stuff'. 

• Leather Care Tips
• The Perfect Organiser - Part 4 [Leather] - for information about the different types of leather.

Plastic outer covers might not be the nicest to hold in your hand, but they can be a bit more carefree, only needing a little wipe with a damp cloth every once in a while to remove any dirt and grime through everyday use. 

I've also used ordinary household silicon based polish on this sort of cover. 

Cloth covered outer covers are nicer to hold, not related to an animal, which is important to some people, but like your clothes they can look a little tired after a few years of constant use. There have been 'Denim' Filofax organisers over the years, a potentially hard wearing outer cover. 

For these I recommend the foam type 'dry' cleaning sprays used for household textiles. You don't want to get this type of cover 'wet' because it might stain as it drys and also the interior between the outer and inner layers could be damaged. A little gentle brush with a soft brush can free the dirt and restore the cover to being 'like new' again. Follow the instructions on which ever product you use. 

One golden rule before you use any cleaning solution on any cover is to test it first. Either on a part of the organiser that will not be seen such as the inside of the clasp. Or if you have a leather sample for your particular organiser. Test the cleaning or stain removal on the leather sample first. The sample can be cheaply replaced, your custom organiser less so. 

The Rings

In normal every day use your rings shouldn't get damaged or become misaligned or start to have gaps. But it does happen. 

The first rule of course is to always use the tabs to open the rings, pushing down on the tabs at both ends together. And closing the rings by gently squeezing them together, being careful to not trap your fingers...ouch!

In the case of buying a pre-owned organiser you might inherit someone else's poor treatment of the rings or you might find a long lost organiser that hasn't been stored in dry conditions. 

The rings are typically made of polished/chromed steel so they can go rusty, generally only surface rust. You can rescue them with some metal polish and a dry cloth and a lot of hard rubbing! In extreme cases you might need to use some steel wool to get rid of the worse of the rust before using metal polish. 

The internal workings of the ring mechanism is also prone to rusting, but you might not be able to access them, a short squirt of WD40 using the nozzle inserted between the tabs and the cover this will help prevent any further rust, but be careful to not over do it and wipe away any excess with some paper towel or similar. 

If you need to change the rings then it will depend on the type of rings fitted to your organiser. Some are 'relatively' easy to change, others not so easy if they are riveted to the cover. 

We have a collection of posts and videos on 'adjusting' and replacing rings:

• Ring Mechanism Parts Explained.
• Can I Fit Bigger or Smaller Rings? 
• Fixing Ring Gaps and Other Issues

Here is my recent video for changing and reassembling Krause rings often found in Van der Spek and Gillio organisers. 

If you get stuck with any ring problems please contact steve at philofaxy dot com

If you have any feedback on this guide, please leave a comment below. Likewise if you have any suggestions for future Philofaxy Guides, please leave a comment below, thank you.

Van der Spek Offering New Ring Sizes

Van der Spek are now offering 25mm rings in addition to 20mm rings in their Junior (pocket) size organisers. You can order 25mm rings in both Custom and Touch Me ranges via the website. 

In addition they have also announced 30mm rings for the Senior (A6) size this is in addition to 25mm and 20mm rings in this size for both Custom and Touch Me ranges. 

See the photo below to see what sizes are inter-changeable on the same mountings. 

See the Van der Spek website for full details. 

Thank you to Petra Van der Spek for supplying the information for this post. 

Further Information.

Web Site: http://www.vdsshop.com
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/VDSleathergoods
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/vanderspekorganiserfans/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vdsshop/

Time to put your Organiser on a diet?

With Christmas out of the way,  I see that a few of you are doing Weight Watchers and other healthy and diet type things.

January arrives... new diary... new goals and all that stuff and 'Oh I must go on a diet' 'I can't get in any of my clothes' ..... where did I put my waist band extender...?

What else do you do at New Year.....???

You suddenly grab those nice new 2020 diary inserts that you have had since August. Click open your Filofax rings.... using both the tabs of course and then you slot in the whole 12 months in one go.

You try and close the rings... using both hands and then there is a problem... your Filofax has now 'bulked up' like a Michelin Man....

Time to put your Filofax on a diet too.... here are some tips...

1. Don't put in all of your diary insert, only put in as much as you need.. 3, 4, 6 months at a time. 
2. Supplement your diary insert with a Year Planner for the more distant events and appointments. 
3. Archive previous months as they pass.
4. Don't carry lots and lots of spare pages, only enough for the time you will be away from your stash of inserts and goodies.
5. How many sheets of stickers and sticky notes do you really need to carry? 
6. Do you really need to carry maps and tube maps when you have no intention of going on the tube for several weeks?
7. Do an annual or bi-annual review of all the pages you are carrying, check the names and addresses pages too. 

You have done all of that But how much is too much in a Filofax? 

If you open your Filofax with all the pages to one side and you can just see the join in the rings, then you are most probably ok.

Any more than that and you will start to have problems turning pages. If you are seeing the inside edge of the paper getting folded and creased that is another sign that you have too much paper in your Filofax.

If you are using Personal size, then remember you have quite a range of ring sizes from 11 mm to 30 mm to choose from for however many pages you want to carry.

Mr Malden above has been relieved of all those excess pounds... sorry pages after the photo was taken!

Can I Fit Bigger or Smaller Rings?

'Can I fit bigger rings to my Make X Model Y in Size Z?' Is a question I am often asked.

People start the year and as the year progresses so the amount of paper they are carrying increases etc. I'm sure you know the story well.

The answer is 'Yes' and 'No' !

Why you might ask... well let's look at the mechanics of rings.

Rings are available in a variety of sizes and often in gold and silver. In the past they were painted/powder coated a few different colours as well.

Image Source - Van der Spek

The different sizes of organiser and different ring sizes result in different dimensions for the mounting points of the rings on to the base plate. As you can see below Standard (Personal) uses the same base plates for both 25 and 30mm rings. Likewise Senior (A6) uses the same for 20 and 25mm as well as the Gillio 23mm A6 rings.

Sadly, on Junior (Pocket) size they have different mounting point dimensions for the 16 and 20mm rings. Therefore you can't easily upgrade a pocket from 16mm to 20mm rings. You would have to do some surgery to remove the backplate and replace it with the correct one. Not impossible, but you would need to be reasonably skilled to do this sort of work, to re-stitch the exterior and interior leather back together again.

As you can see some conversions are reasonably easy to do 25mm -> 30mm on Standard (Personal/Medium) size are more or less a straight swap.

However, this is where an element of 'No' you can't swap the rings comes in.

Whilst they will physically fit the back plate and work etc, there might be an issue with the space left for the pages, increasing the ring size by 5mm in the above example, means that the thickness of the organiser might be increased by 5mm and the edge pages are moved 5mm closer to the outer edge of the organiser.

That said in some cases the designer obviously considered the larger ring size and the cover is 'bigger'  than the normal size of rings and therefore some can take the larger rings without the pages/tabs sticking out beyond the edge of the organiser.

Is there a list of ones that can take bigger rings? Not as such, but a simple way of telling is to measure the distance from the middle of your paper stack in the organiser to the edge of the organiser when closed. The middle being the highest part of the curve of the rings and is therefore closer to the edge.

Also be aware of the top or the bottom of your stack of pages getting closer to the pen loop if there is one.

Another way of creating the additional space to allow for the increase in ring size is to go from using side tabs to top/bottom tabs.

Going down in ring size say from 30mm to 25mm isn't a problem as long as the ring mounting points are the same, you just need to exchange the rings over. And if you are careful removing the rings you can reverse the change easily should you want to go back to the original size.

I hope that helps and answers your questions, if not please leave a comment below and I will try to respond to your questions as quickly as possible.

Maintaining Your Organiser(s)

Caring for your organiser or organisers if you have few isn't something you need to do that often.

However, it doesn't harm to put a reminder in your diary to go through your collection once a year and check them over and give them a clean and inspection.

I'm about to do my annual check of my 'collection', which will involve emptying each shelf of my cupboard. Then go through each box in turn and carry out the following actions.

1. Empty the contents out of the pockets and remove anything from the rings. Although I tend to store most of mine empty. 
2. Visually inspect the exterior and interior and note any loose stitching and any damage. 
3. Check the rings for any gaps or mis-alignment. 
4. Open and close the rings a few times using the tabs of course and then recheck the rings. 
5. Dust the interior and wipe the exterior with a clean microfibre cloth. 
6. Treat with leather balm if required.

For the visual checks you only need the Mark 1 Eye Ball! Or a magnifier, if like me you can hardly focus close these days!

If you spot any loose stitching a little spot of clear nail varnish or glue, the smallest spot possible will stop it getting any worse.

When checking the rings also use your fingers to feel for any rough transitions as these will catch on the paper as you turn the pages. Refer to our guide on fixing ring problems if required.

To dust the interior you can use my sticky tape trick to remove any paper dust from the textile interior or the raw leather backing. Here is a video on this technique.

If you need to treat the leather use a recognised leather care product, I use the products shown below, but other brands are just as acceptable, see what is available locally to you. Check the type of leather you have first.

Apply with a soft clean micro fibre cloth and use soft circular motions to get the balm in to the pours of the leather.

Beware not all leathers need or accept leather treatments, check with the manufacturer or test on a small not visible area first.

There is an excellent page on leather care here.

Of course when you have finished pop your pages back in again and you are ready to go for another year or so.

Ring Mechanism Parts Explained.

Occasionally when I'm trying to explain to people via text there is some confusion about the different parts of a ring mechanism. I hope the following photograph helps explain the different parts.

So from left to right:

Tabs: You use these to open your rings, pressing down on both.... you do do this don't you? 😟

Cover plate: This is the part that covers up the internals of the ring mechanism, it can be carefully removed without removing the ring mechanism, it clips to the Base Plate. 

Ring Halves: When taken apart they are in two parts, but they interlock when installed in the base plate. They slide in from either end of the Base Plate. The small rectangular holes at the ends is where the tabs slot in to. 

Backing Plate: This is the metal part that is glued in to the inside of the organiser between the outer leather and the internal leather. It is put in before the two halves of the organiser are stitched together, therefore it is quite difficult to change this part of the mechanism. When buying replacement rings you will normally not receive the backing plate unless you specifically ask for it. 

The backing plate has the Mounting Lugs top and bottom this is what the Base Plate slides on to. 

Base Plate:  This is what the ring halves are held in along with the tabs and then the cover plate clips on to the top of the base plate. 

The square cut outs in the base plate go over the mounting lugs and then you slide the base plate (and the assembled ring mech on to the mounting lugs, with the narrower cut out sliding under the mounting lugs until the Locking Tab clicks over the small ridge just above the lower mounting lug. 

The terminology I use might not be the same as used by the manufacturers of the ring mechanisms, but I have used the same terms for the parts for the last few years. 

Any questions as always please leave them in the comments below. 

Ring Mechanisms

Now I'm sure your eyes glazed over as soon as you saw the title of this post 'What more is there you can tell us about rings Steve?'..... 'Is this your specialist subject for Mastermind?'.... 'It's not 1st April already?'...

Let me explain why I decided to write this post. Over the last few weeks I've received more than the usual number of messages associated with ring mechanisms. They are normally fairly easy questions like 'Where can I get rings for an XYZ' or 'Can I swap this size for this size of rings on an XYZ?' Yes fairly ordinary questions which I'm normally able to answer fairly quickly and from memory.... miracles will never cease!

Let us first answer the easy question.

'Where can I buy a ring mechanism from?'

Both Van der Spek and Gillio Firenze will sell you a set of replacement Krause rings. However please don't go dashing off just yet looking for your credit card!!

If you are replacing like for like, same size for the same size then you can be 99% confident that just ordering from their websites will be just fine. There is an exception, isn't there always! A5 Krause rings went from two point mounting to three point mounting in the last couple of years.

The supply of two point mounting A5 rings has more or less dried up... but in theory you might be able to use the same base plate from your existing set of rings and swap the parts over from your new set of rings. Not a simple job admittedly, but not impossible to do. Knowing which type you currently have is not possible without taking your rings apart beside knowing the age of the organiser.

Be sure to check both sites for the size and style of rings you are looking for taking in to account price differences and the cost of shipping.

Unlike organisers, ring mechanisms don't cost a lot of money, but the cost of shipping them undamaged to you isn't going to be much different to the cost of an organiser.

So the cost of shipping can be more expensive than the ring mechanisms themselves. This isn't the fault of either company, it's just a fact of reality these days. So if you can wait until you need two or three ring mechanisms you will save a lot on shipping.

'Can I change the size of rings in my organiser?'

When changing the internal diameter size of rings in the same size organiser some size swaps work... some will not.

This picture saves a thousand words! Remembering that this is from Van der Spek, so Standard is the same as Medium in Gillio parlance and Personal in Filofax terms. Senior is the same as A6 and Junior is the same as Pocket.



So 25mm and 30mm Standard (Medium) share the same mounting point spacing. Likewise Senior/A6 20 and 25mm are the same spacing.

Sadly Junior/Pocket 16 and 20mm are different. So to change from say 16mm to 20mm would require some organiser keyhole surgery to change the backing plate inside the leather layers of the organiser, not easy to do.

Also you will see it's not possible to go between Slim 13mm rings and Standard  (Medium) 25/30mm again the spacing is different.

You also need to consider if you are increasing the size of the rings say going from 25mm to 30mm in a Standard/Medium size organiser is the cover big enough for the increase in ring size. That increase in ring size whilst it gives you more paper carrying capacity, but it also pushes the edge of the paper and your dividers out to the side further.

Ask on the relevant Facebook group or search in the photos of the Facebook groups for someone who has done a transplant previously to see if it works or not.

If you are decreasing the size of rings (e.g. 30mm to 25 mm) generally the same issue doesn't occur, because you are increasing the size margins, so you might be able to use wider than normal inserts by decreasing the size the rings in your organiser.

'Where can I get Krause rings to fit a Filofax Classic Croc'

The rings fitted to the Filofax Classic Croc use the Krause 'PXR' system of mounting the ring mechanism to the backing plate in the organiser. This is different to the Krause 'PER' system used by Gillio/Van der Spek.

The 'PER' system is based on a set of lugs on the backing plate with a keyhole type slots and a locking tab in the base plate of the ring mechanism.

In the photograph below note the lugs in the cut outs of the leather and the corresponding key hole slots in the base plate which fits over the lugs on the larger hole and is then slid up wards allowing the  narrower section to slide under the lugs and for the locking tab to click over the small step in the backing plate.

The Classic Croc uses the PXR system which uses a backing plate with two vertical studs that stand up from the backing plate. It looks something like this:

The ring mechanism has sprung claws that grip the vertical studs very tightly.

The way in which this system works means that the ring mechanism is very securely mounted in the organiser. The PER system ring mechanisms can become easily detached from the organiser if it is dropped.

Being so securely mounted of course means that the PXR mechanism fitted to the Classic Croc is very difficult to remove, without inflicting damage on the organiser or yourself!

Therefore, because the type of mounting is different, the ring mechanisms are not compatible with each other (Filofax <> Gillio/VdS). Therefore if you want replacement rings for a Filofax Classic Croc your only option at present as far as I know is to contact Filofax Customer Service.

'I have an old Filofax can I get a new set of rings to fit it?'
Older (Vintage) Filofax organisers use a PER style ring mechanism the same as Gillio/Van der Spek so you can can be replaced easily. But you might have to disassemble the existing rings to double check the mounting point spacing before ordering a new set of rings. See the photo above for details.

'I have a Filofax Slim or Gillio Slim organiser do they use the same type of mounting?'
The Gillio and Van der Spek Slims both use the same PER type mechanism so they will be interchangeable.

The Filofax Slim along with the Gillio Mini organisers use a type of mechanism that uses two small tabs that secure the mechanism to the organiser at each end. These tabs (highlighted in the photograph below) can be quite fragile and if they snap then the backing plate would have to be changed.

'How do I change the rings on my Filofax Malden?'
Unfortunately there are a lot of Filofax organisers that use a riveted in ring mechanism, the Malden is just one example. As such you can remove the ring mechanism by drilling out the rivets carefully. A lot of people have done this to convert their organiser in to a travellers notebook.

Sadly it's a one way trip, there is no easy way of reattaching a new mechanism. The rivets are part of the backing plate within the organiser. You could use some form of dome headed bolt and a locking nut to reattach a similar type mechanism. This would work if you happy with the head of the bolts on the outside spine of the organiser.

For more information on fixing ring gaps and how to go about changing rings in general please see this earlier post it has more photos and a video to explain how to remove and replace your rings.

Of course if you have any questions about rings I will be happy to be submitted to sitting in the 'Mastermind' chair with the spotlights on my face, answering questions for two minutes on my specialist subject of 'Ring mechanisms fitted to modern personal organisers' 😊

The Perfect Organiser - Part 1 [Rings]

There are many factors that go together to make a 'Perfect Organiser' so I thought I would break this down in to easy to read bite size chunks and write it as a mini series of posts.

Yes this is my own point of view, your thoughts might be different! But please do comment if you have other thoughts to add on each post.

Rings

Let's start with rings... as you might know it's a topic dear to my heart!!!

The rings in an organiser vary in quality from cheap non-branded ones that are riveted in to removable/replaceable Krause rings at the other end of the scale.

In cheaper organisers from companies such as Filofax, Paperchase etc the rings tend to be riveted in to the organiser. In some cases these might be replaceable where the rivets go through the spine of the organiser, but on other models they aren't so easy to change.

In the majority of cases you shouldn't have any issues with these rings in normal everyday use. Occasionally you might get some small gaps develop or it might even arrive with gaps in the rings.

Having seen a good number of people with ring gaps on this type of ring mechanism I devised my own method for 'curing' this issue, which you see described here.

However, if you take care in opening and closing the rings this type of mechanism shouldn't suffer any issues. I have many organisers in my collection with these type of rings and I've not had any issues over the years.

Any mechanism can suffer if the organiser is dropped off say a desktop on to a hard floor with a full set of inserts on the rings. So just be careful and you should be ok.

If you are buying an organiser in person be sure to inspect the rings and run the tips of your fingers over the join to check for any misalignment. Your fingers will feel the step much better than your eyes will.

Let's have a look at some different ring mechanisms (Dull Men should look away now!)

Riveted rings in a Filofax Malden

An older Filofax Sandhurst, branded Filofax rings which are removable

Unbranded removable rings in a Gillio organiser

Some tiny Krause rings 11mm fitted in a Pocket organiser

35mm Krause rings in my A5 Van der Spek

If your organiser has the removable type of ring mechanism you can of course upgrade them and fit Krause rings available from Van der Spek. However shipping can be expensive if you only want one set. It is best to get a small group order together to share the cost of shipping.

I've upgraded nearly all of my Gillio organisers with Krause rings, they seem to be better made than the ones supplied with their organisers.

Naturally if you have any questions about rings. Leave a comment below.

Fixing Ring Gaps and Other Issues

The bulk of this post was written about two years ago, but as with everything, we all learn a few more tricks and techniques, so I thought it was time for an update. 

A lot of people in our community encounter gaps in rings, although some companies would have you believe that the number of ring problems reported is a low percentage of their total output. I will let you make up your own mind on that.

Sometimes if the ring gap is only small they do not cause a major problem, as long as the pages are not catching on them then they will be ok.

So what should you look for?

What should good rings look like? 

So there are different fixes for different types of rings and different fixes for the different types of problems we often see.

First of all if you receive a new organiser and it has unacceptable ring gaps on one or more of the rings, you should contact the supplier and tell them you are not going to accept the item and arrange for it to be returned.

To help the retailer roll up some coloured paper and place that inside the rings like in the above photos to show the detail of the rings better. Photographing 'shiny' things is never easy!

1.  Damaged beyond repair.

If it arrives like this.....

With thanks to Samantha Brihante for this photograph.

It is a definite return to the supplier!

2. Removable rings.

If your rings are the removable type from say Gillio or Van der Spek or any other company that uses this type, then it is easy to remove the rings to replace them with a new set.  To do this follow this video.

Please also see a section towards the end of this post about Mini, Slim rings


3. Rings touching but not interlocking correctly. 

If the rings on your organiser look like this from above:

This is where the two halves of the rings are not lining up correctly internally. Sometimes you can correct this by opening the rings with the tabs, pressing firmly and then closing them again. Doing this 10-20 times can shuffle them back in line again.  When you press down on the tabs it pulls the out of alignment ring halves back in to alignment. You can try pushing them longitudinally to assist in the process.

Note how in my very exaggerated example the tab is also out of alignment. I pushed the rings in opposite directions to show this example. Normally they wouldn't be that far out!

4. Height difference between the two halves of the rings.

If when you look at the ends of the rings they are displaced like this:

Initially try opening and closing the rings a few times, if all of the rings are different heights then something isn't quite right internally and you might be able by pressing down on the rings on the high side to get them to click back in to alignment.

If it is only one or two rings then a little bit of applied force on those particular rings might get them back in to alignment again. But be careful you don't over do it!

5. Small gaps - most common problem. 

If the rings on your organiser meet perfectly when you squeeze them together if there are gaps with no steps vertically or laterally then this fix might work. If the rings are distorted in any way then it will not work.

If you have gaps on all rings, something has gone wrong internally, on non-riveted rings ease off the cover plate and visibly check the mechanism internally. Pay attention that the tabs are not holding the rings open. Try lifting the tabs at each end and watch the rings to see if the gap decreases.

If it isn't the tabs and the rings are the riveted type (Malden, Finsbury etc) there’s not a lot you can do apart from returning the organiser to Filofax for a replacement.

If the gap is just small on only 2 or 3 rings then these instructions will work in nearly all cases.

Caution: Please carry out these instructions carefully and precisely. If you squeeze too hard you will cure one problem but create another. So only squeeze gently at first. You are going to carry out this at your own risk… you have been warned!

If you have gaps like this but the others are ok. Firstly try opening and closing the rings a few times using only the tabs at the end to open them.

Still got a problem?

Then read on.

Find yourself some rulers or something similar. I picked rulers because most people have them and they will sit in between the rings without you having to hold them in place. And with several you can make them the right thickness by adding and subtracting them.

Open the rings and place the rulers in the gap of the good rings.

Now gently squeeze the ring with the largest gap, but gently.

Take out the rulers and try closing the rings. Is there still a gap? If there is repeat the process but squeeze a little harder this time.

Take out the rulers and try closing the rings.

Is there still a gap? No…fixed.

It is best to err on the side of lightly squeezing the rings, so a few attempts rather than fixing the gap in a single attempt.

This fix has been used by many people including myself and it is successful in most cases.

6. Replacement rings.

Where the rings are riveted to the organiser and the heads of the rivets are visible on the outside of the organiser for instance on the Original, Domino models then you can buy replacement rings for organisers from Amazon UK. These rings have a screw type fixing so once the old ones are removed they are very easy to fit.

Amazon links for replacement rings. (Currently not available at the time of writing)

• Pocket size Filofax chrome mechanism
• Personal Size Filofax chrome mechanism
• A5 22mm dia ring mechanism
• A5 30mm dia ring mechanism

Krause rings are also available from Van der Spek, these will fit any Van der Spek or Gillio with removable rings and other brands with the same mounting points on the back plate. 

Check out this post for full details on these excellent rings. 

7.  M2, Mini, Pocket, Slim Rings (But all makes)

On some organisers such as the Gillio Mini Mia Cara and others, mainly with small diameter rings. The ring mechanism attachment method is very different to others. They are removable in the traditional sense but you need to be cautious doing it. 

Instead of a 'slide on' and locking type ring mechanism, these types are held on by two small and potentially fragile metal tabs. 

This is my Holborn Slim looking at the end of the mechanism underneath the tab you will see a slightly lighter grey metal tab that is holding the mechanism, there is one at each end. 

Same picture but with the tab highlighted.

To swap this type of ring mechanism. You can remove the cover in the usual way using my method as shown in the video above.  Then with the rings open you can remove the tabs. This will then give you better access to the metal tab holding the ring mechanism in place. 

You just need to use a small screwdriver under the tab to bend it up gently. The ring mechanism will then be free. You only have to do this at one end, not both.  Refitting is just the reverse and again carefully bend the tab back down again. 

Now a big dose of CAUTION and I can't stress this one enough... these type of mechanisms are not intended to be put in and out more than once or twice. Bending that metal tab up and pressing it back down again weakens the metal, it will eventually snap at the point it is being bent. On most of the mechanisms I've come across this type of back plate is made of steel, therefore it can corrode if it is subjected to humid damp conditions. 

I have seen several shared photographs of organisers with broken mechanisms of this type where one of the metal tabs has broken off when the organiser was dropped or shipped with paper on the rings. If the metal tab breaks there's not a lot you can do to repair it. 

Finally

In general most ring mechanisms will not give problems over the life time of an organiser if they are are well looked after and the rings are made to a reasonable standard/quality. 

Top Tips.... how many did you know already?

• Never ship an organiser with a full set of inserts on the rings... one big drop by a ham fisted Yodel/DHL (Day and Half Late)/Fedex/UPS (delete as applicable) man and your rings will be strained considerable, or even worse will be rattling around in the box. See how to pack an organiser.
• When selling always take a photo of the rings with coloured paper inside the rings before you ship it. 
• When buying a pre-owned organiser, always request a picture of the rings with coloured paper inside them before agreeing a price. 
• Never rush a repair, if in doubt contact Steve (philofaxy at gmail dot com) 
• Do not be tempted to paint your rings with glitter or gold paint, it will not adhere and any roughness on the rings will damage the paper. 
• Check your rings regularly, give them a wipe with a soft cloth. 
• If the organiser has been stored in damp conditions the rings are prone to going rusty, clean with metal polish, if that doesn't shift it then go for a mild abrasive, then polish with a metal polish to finish off. 
• The ring mechanism is a very simple mechanism and it is explained in more depth in this earlier post. 
• Finally. make sure you only ever use the tabs to open the rings every time.

If you have got any ring questions, pop them in the comments below.