I remember my first time using it. I had a huge amount of grounds. Then I figured out what I had done. The threads are inserted from the bottom side so, since I saw the bright, shiny thread insert, that's where I screwed it in. Later found that I had to screw it in from the side where the threads were NOT visible. Of course, it was the first time I'd ever used a coffee press of ANY type, so I only smacked my forehead a little. Once I squinted at the diagram, I noticed the right way to do it.