I have worked in the printing industry for some time (15+ years) and the simplest and cheapest solution for your beautiful pad folios is available I think. Print shops have powered guillotines for 'cropping' stacks of paper or prints. It is a simple and inexpensive job to cut a stack of pads down to a desired size. Give them a stack of pads (any pad or paper you like) and they should be able to trim them to size for a negligible fee. Forget those lost trimmings! Enjoy your beautiful pad holders😊

Thank you for covering this topic. Well done.

Great look at some beautiful papers! Thanks so much.

Nice 16710 GMT. You can tell it’s been with you through many adventures

Thank you for the wonderful review.

I use Southworth 100% cotton, watermarked 32 lb/120gsm ivory wove printer paper...beautiful quality, takes Fountain Pen wonderfully (although it has a slight tooth). No feathering, no ghosting. You can make your own writing pads, to a size that would fit your Dad’s writing case, using the paper of your own choice by gluing a stack of paper with something called ‘Padding Compound’ along one side...it’s the exact same stuff as they bind notepads with and remains flexible (unlike PVA glue). I get mine from Amazon. I also have one of those vintage writing cases, that I purchased from ebay in the USA and mine fits half-letter sized writing paper beautifully. I just keep an assortment of loose sheets in mine as I like to design and print my own stationery using that lovely 100% cotton paper. I looked, and you can get both the Southworth paper and padding compound from Amazon.co.uk :)

Hello again Mike, and thank you for the wonderfully entertaining video. Can you imagine, yesterday I opened my letterbox and found a very nice letter inside. Made my day. You really can't get enough handwritten letters. Thank you very much for that, my friend. I will definitely answer as soon as possible, I only have to wait for new paper to arrive, as I have depleted my own supply of writing paper not too long ago. The Rössler really is beautiful paper, but the bleedthrough can get annoying at times. I have ordered some Edelbütten Papier from them to try out, which I think is deckle-edge paper in English if I'm not entirely mistaken. They have several different paper types, but in the sets like yours they usually include their Leinen Papier, which is paper with a linen-like structure (it also includes linen fibers in the making, I think). That's why its so rough in comparison. Oh, and wonderful pronounciation of the German sentence! Thank you again for the letter - it really was a wonderful surprise! Have a great day, mate. Cheers! Chris

In reference to making A5 paper fit your compendium... this is just a idea but could you take it to a stationary store or book binder for example and have the writing pads cut to size to fit? It might not be worth the trouble but at least it might be a way to use your lovely compendiums.

Enjoyed your review very much!

I use TOmoe River paper for all my correspondence and I use both sides of the paper with no issues and it is cheaper to use than clairefontaine which I find to be too thick. I basically cannot afford to send letters on clairefontaine paper. Tomoe river works fine if you use the right nibs and inks.

I'm slightly surprised that you didn't show the good old UK brand - Basildon Bond paper ☺️. I do like the A5 Clairefontaine Triomphe pads. Another good paper is the Italian paper Fedrigoni Splendorgel. This is an 85 gsm paper that as well as being great with fountain pens is also watercolour friendly - though as yet I've not tried it with watercolours. Another paper that I do like is Conqueror Diamond White which is really smooth. The Conqueror wove (if you like a textured paper) does work well with medium/broad nibs.

Hi! The Basildon Bond small letter pad works well, I have a similar case and use it. They have a few different colours and it's suitable for fountain pen. A little bit toothy but still pleasant to write on.

A simple solution to your "size" problem would be to cut your Crown Mill paper a bit shorter and narrower to fit your father's morocco leather case. It is simple and cheap. As far as paper quality is concerned, my advice is to try Rhodia paper: neither feathering no transparency on the other side of the page.

Mike, do you still have my letter? Wasn’t that a narrow paper that would fit your Father’s case? Worth a look! Interesting video as I have recently started writing letters again. I think we all should start a little ‘pen pal’ type thing for your channel. I want to write more. Thanks again, appreciate the distraction from now living in what is the highest covid rated city in the UK! DOH! 😂

Before the lockdown I went into my local Morrisons and found hardback A5 notebooks for £1.50 each, strangely the paper is very thin but when using a range of different fountain pens there is no bleed through, ok, the quality is not the best such as Leuchturm ( my favourite brand of notebook ) but I was most impressed with its abilities and for the price was very welcomed

Your dad’s case looks like a b6 and a Stalogy b6 notebook should fit it nicely and is very fountain pen friendly paper!!

I think the most suitable would be the B6 size. Jetpens has a few notebook options in this size, but no correspondence paper. There is also the Leuchtturm B6 Soft Cover notebook. I think the Rhodia N. 14 (17cmx11cm) notepads might be a good fit for the leather case.

Thanks for the review, Michael. I think the closest of the standard sizes of notebooks you will find for your folios would be B6 which are larger than the A6's. They will be just a bit undersized but I think it won't be too much. That or you could find an artisan bookbinder and have him make you up a couple with the advantage being a proper fit and a paper of your choosing. As for inks, I have a variety of brands and have found there to be a large difference in how they react to the paper or the paper to them when comparing feathering and bleed through. I could suggest you try Noodler's X-Feather which is designed to minimize, if not eliminate, feathering and to a certain degree, bleed through. It also has the advantage of being pretty well everything proof once it has bonded to the paper (water, bleach, solvents, and even lasers) It's also archival and the only way to remove the writing is to destroy the paper.

Perhaps you could trim an A5 notepad down to size to fit? A bit off the bottom and side with a Stanley type blade and a steel rule would do the trick! I make my own a5 note books out of a cheap ream of paper I have found works decently with fountain pens. The ready made fountain pen friendly note books cost a fortune down here in Aus.

I think this varies by country, since availability varies. Two hidden A4 gems that are cheap: in the US, HP Premium 32. In Singapore, double A Premiium is excellent. I think the HP paper is 120 gsm while double A is 80, but both are really nice. I don't foray into expensive papers, cheap paper has given me the experience I want. And I think really pretty paper is too pretty to write on. Haha. And, if I had a leather case as nice as yours, I'd use a paper cutter on that A4 paper and bind a pad myself!

Lovely cases at the beginning. I remember the old airmail pads being small enough to fit, unfortunately I think they are A5 now, and also the paper was not good for fountain pens!

@writerlywitterings New subscriber! I would love to see a thorough review on the G. Lalo paper if you are so inclined. Thanks so much for your very informative content! Lisa

Are the old cases meant for classic letter notepads-like the Basildon Bond ones?

You should try the 64gsm B7 Tora - Next paper. Available on Etsy. Very very very nice.

If you love the lever, look for some vintage pens! Would love to see them reviewed on the channel!

I have a Reform 1745 piston filla, i got NOS from a pen forum... Twenty something (usually what I allow myself for a must have bargain) quid. its fine nib just works, with the okay 80gsm printer paper i got a box of cheap, I use for my notes/learning... ink wasting.? but I also like Christmas card envelopes from the recycling... all the difference in paper, I use it for scrap, notes, stuff across the year. not the best letter stock admitted

I have a question: when I walk my dog these days, I carry w Rite in The Rain notebook with the fisher space pen. For when I want to take notes (and I take a lot of notes). Do you change your notebooks depending on the weather?

That looks like a b6 size. Try a stalogy notebook in it;)

Great video as per normal, Great info, what do you think on Rhodia paper and would a b6 size note book fit in your dads case????

I have been using Rhodia 80 gsm notepads in No.18 A4 size which are excellent for my general writing. My experience with this paper is that the face side is beautiful for all my fine and medium nibs but when turned over the line widths on the same pens appears slightly wider. I notice this in particular with my 1911l and my Waterman Carene medium nibs. Shadowing is not an issue with the inks I have from Akkerman.

About the lever filled pen how do you ensure you don’t contaminate your ink bottles dipping that in different bottles? How can you tell if it’s clean enough to dip into a different ink bottle?

My first thought was also to try a B6 pad, and then; I remembered what in the USA is called Jr. Legal. B6 measures 4.5 in. by 6.5 in.; Jr. Legal runs 5 in. by 8 in. From a glance, I suspect that your covers are closer to B6 Also, pads sold in the us these days hardly qualify as high-class toilet roll. I have several nice leather covers for 8.5 in. by 11 in. pads and have taken to buying loose sheet Tomoe.River 68gsm paper and trimming it to fit, gluing it to backerboard, in effect making my own custom pads. I did need to buy a cutter sufficient to cut the backer and I do buy glue as well. But, I can get it all from Amazon and I can make 6 pads in less than 2 hours while still watching KZfaq videos from English mystery writers.

Congrats on the subscribers...secret is out how interesting you are!

Thanks for the reviews. I agree with your liking the greyish blue of Paper Royal by Rossler Papier. I also like the watermark on the Original Crown Mill paper. Nice, genuine assessment! As far as finding paper sized to fit your morocco leather case, I think you can find paper makers through Etsy shops such as Gatzbcn or PaperPenguin Co. who hand-make Tomoe River notebooks, and who could possibly adjust the notebook dimensions to your liking. A suggestion about a notebook I adore (non-correspondence) is made by the Japanese manufacturer Masuya. I drool over Masuya Monokaki Notebooks which I came across in my search for an alternative to TR paper notebooks. You can find these Monokaki notebooks here: choosingkeeping.com/collections/notebooks/products/sewn_bound_monokaki_a5_medium_notebook_plain_cream The main complaint about Monokaki notebooks is that they don't lay flat, but I found that not to be the case. I spent more than half an hour bending back the spine until it did indeed remain spayed "flat" on my table. That said, the result is a glorious notebook filled with lovely Japanese manuscript paper which feels crisp and light in the hand.

Basildon Bond will fit into those covers, I am 99% sure.

Would you mind making a video in which you explain the concept of "character's point of view"? I'm a beginner and my problem is that my lead characters are tyrannical. I can't describe the action except through their eyes. All the rest of the characters seem to fade out in front of them. How can I bring a minor's POV without confusing the reader? What parts of the story should be presented through the minor character's POV and what parts fit better with the lead?

I am having the sample problem with my dads notebook . Pads are slightly to big. Any information regarding filler pads would be helpful. David

Why don’t you have your notebooks cut to fit? Any supply store or packing store should have paper services.

Would P4TO (178x229mm) fit your cases? Edit: Just been on the Smythson website. Fancy trying their King's paper? Only starts at £194....hahaha. A diary can be yours for only £95 . People must pay these prices. And Aspinal outsource their Filofax inserts to an Italian wholesaler called Castelli I think. Claudio Ferrici uses the same. Thoroughly enjoyed your review and cannot understand how I missed it. Best wishes.

its a shame that you got the newstock tomoe and not the old. the new is just BAD