Holy crap, river_scott, your water turns things orange? That's wild. I can't even imagine pulling a white shirt out of the wash and it's stained rust colored. No wonder your sourdough gave up, that's like trying to bake with liquid metal. Bottled water does sound silly but you gotta do what works.

Honestly, I've always found the filing process pretty straightforward if you go slow. Maybe it's the system you're using? Mine just slides right in, no fight at all. A little organizing up front saves so much hassle later.