[deltarholamda]

Perhaps a silly question, but would something like a Mahl stick help with left-handed writing? Painters and old-school draftsmen use them to keep their grubby mitts off the surface.

I suppose in today's public school you wouldn't be allowed one because it could conceivably be used as a weapon, but it would seem to be helpful.

[LaffertyDev]

Left handed person here. Writing is already a chore, tying up both hands just to use a fountain pen without smearing seems to cross an effort/reward boundary.

Maybe useful if you were really committed to the tool. I've been casually interested in fountain pens for a while but the downsides seem to stack up whenever I actually look into it.

[deltarholamda]

You don't have to hold the stick, generally. For painting, yes, but you wouldn't have to when writing. It would just hold your hand up a little bit.

Maybe try a dowel with a glob of clay or something on the end and see?

The biggest crime to lefties is the fold-away half-size writing desk you see in lecture halls.

[hydrogen7800]

>Mahl stick

Thank you for using its name. I first saw it on TV showing someone hand painting a design on a car (probably a Rolls Royce on Top Gear) and thought it was brilliant in its simplicity, but didnt know its name.

[deltarholamda]

I just made one with a dowel and a big superball, but I've seen one that they put a skateboard wheel (with bearings) on the end so it rolls.

[bookofjoe]

The Wikipedia entry is "Maulstick": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maulstick