I recently bought an A5 leather Filofax Flex in the gorgeous, blackcurrant lizard print. I loved all the pockets and the slim size but it just wasn't being used to its full potential. Then I saw the recent Philofaxy post by Steve and the posts by Tim and Holly and thought 'Aha! That's what it needs! Rings!!' Of course!
I toyed with the idea of attaching some rings to a Flex pen loop or something similar so that I didn't have to cut into my lovely Flex but then I decided to be brave and go for it! I found some 16mm personal sized rings on eBay. I think A5 rings would have been a bit too long and the ends would stick out. The 16mm rings fit very snugly within the binder and keep it looking nice and slim. The only problem with using personal sized rings for A5 paper is the metal tabs squash the edges of the paper slightly but it's fairly minor so I'm not planning on changing them...................................yet!
So here's how I did it! The rings came like this (see photo), with a plastic back strip.
The Flex cover has an inner and outer layer so I decided to slip the plastic strip in between the layers so that the fixings wouldn't show on the outside of the Flex. I measured up to make sure I got the rings dead centre (I didn't - they were slightly out!) then drew dots where the two fixing screws had to go.
Now for the scary bit! I took a deep breath and then made a horizontal cut about 1.5cm below where the top screw was to go and just big enough to slide the plastic strip in. I used a craft knife and was VERY careful not to go through both layers. I then used washi tape to attach the screw fixings to the strip so I could then slide it in without losing them! I slid the strip in and positioned it so that the bottom fixing was in line with the marking for the hole and, using the craft knife created a hole just big enough to push the fixing up through it. I did the same with the top one then covered up the cut I'd made with a small piece of tape. Then it was just a matter of screwing the rings onto the fixings.
I'm really chuffed with the end result and my new 'Filoflex' is getting much more use! I chopped up the Flex notebook and have punched and used the pages. I also used the front and back covers as flyleafs/page lifters with the addition of some washi tape to jazz them up a bit. Big thanks to Tim, Holly and Steve for your inspiration!!
Alison
The same 16mm A5 rings are also available on Amazon UK
That's a great conversion! More than two years since I produced mine, I still use it daily and feel there is a market for a truly slim (less than 20mm and no padding) A5 Filofax.
ReplyDeleteI agree! That's a great idea. I love mine without rings and have been thinking of converting it to a Midori type notebook. I would love to have a flex the same size as the Midori that I could convert. I would definitely consider one with rings though! I guess that would mean I would need three more if I keep mine as is ha ha. I really wish they would have developed this product more as I like the feel, pockets, flexibility and simplicity of the design. And I agree, that is a beautiful conversion Alison. Love the color too!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this & that's fantastic! I agree wholeheartedly with Tim & I love the idea of a proper slim A5. I think that this should be shared with Filofax UK :)
ReplyDeleteI did - when I published my post in July 2012. I didn't even get an acknowledgement!
DeleteI already have rings on the way to do the same! However, I ordered A5. I'll see if they are too long!
ReplyDeleteAlan, I hope they fit and I'd love to see a post on your experiment.
DeleteAlan I'd love to know how the A5 rings work out. You will have to share some pics!
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to say, I'd never thought of putting a chequebook in the jotterpad folder - but that's a good idea! Off to order another paying in book (I never use cheques, but a paying in book would be helpful).
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice conversion. I hope it truly meets your needs. Thanks so much for sharing this.
ReplyDeleteI'd always wondered if this would work. Like Tim (and doubtless many others), I too am puzzled by the lack of a proper A5 slimline, one without thick, puffy covers, which would be ideal for business use, and be very lightweight. Terrific post, and I hope it continues to prove useful. Like Alan, I might give the A5 Flex a try with the A5 rings. The non-leather ones seem to be quite cheap now, so it wouldn't be as painful if it didn't work! (posted again - this site still routinely eats my first comment).
ReplyDeleteLooks great Allison! I enjoy seeing these 'Filoflex' posts in all their forms - mine is a gargantuan specimen - I didn't put in rings because I needed it to be slim, I put in the rings because the standard width ones annoyed me when I wrote! But I must admit, yours and Tim's trimmed down versions look very good and practical. I wonder how many Frankensteinian creations we will see on Philofaxy? Perhaps Alan's will be next?
ReplyDeleteI also agree that a true slimline A5 would be a good model for the Filofax brand