Wing Sung 590: S.b.r.e. Brown And I Say, "great Pen"

[k3eax]

I have four of these 590's (OK, so I'm a glutton) and they all seem to have what I believe are ebonite feeds --- they are certainly not soft rubber and so perhaps you do have a defective nib. Have you considered the nib setting approach shown in the video to which I provided a link in an earlier posting? Perhaps the mating of the nib and feed might be improved in this way so that the feed will be less constricted? Or then again, the feed might be tempered/hardened by the hot water.

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[mknoblauch]

+1 on the Wing Sung 590. I'm 6'3", have very large hands and am required to write copious notes a couple times a week, so I find this to be the best knockabout FP ever.

 

It is a terrific user and the gigantic sac holds almost as much as my Artex 104T eyedropper, the barrel of which is the same size and diameter, pretty much, as the cage and sac on the 590.

 

I made one mistake with it, though. After cleaning it up upon receipt, I filled it up with Private Reserve Chocolate brown ink the first time 'round and wound up growing tired of the color, like a calligraphic Eveready bunny, it kept going and going and going.

 

Mine reaked to high heaven when I first got it, too, but I remedied that by soaking it in home made pen flush repeatedly. Now I can only notice a faint hint of the odor if I were to unscrew the section from the barrel and bring the sac to my nose. But once it's been inked there is no trace of odor at all.

Edited October 30, 2014 by mknoblauch

[Tas]

Have given up on trying to make mine work but in the process have had a eureka moment this morning!

 

The feeds fits my Ahabs PERFECTLY and perform just as well as the original, albeit hacked to bits, one.

 

The nib fits too but is just as awful to use so don't bother

Edited October 30, 2014 by Tas

[hari317]

I picked one of these up recently, and I have to say it has me puzzled. It dip-tests beautifully, and once filled, it writes beautifully--for a few lines, until the ink on the end of the nib is gone. But no ink will pass beyond a point in the middle of the feed. I've tried routine flushing, disassembly and brushing with detergent solution, and even widening the (very, very narrow) ink channels. No change.

One unusual thing I noticed is that the feed on my pen is not ebonite: it is soft, flexible rubber. I am wondering if either (a) the soft rubber is hydrophobic enough to prevent ink from moving through the channel or ( the feed is so soft that when I insert it into the section the constriction forces the ink channels to close.

In any case I ran out of time for experimentation, but I think I will come back to it. I've never encountered a fully soft rubber feed before. I wonder if this was standard, or if it was a manufacturing error. If the latter, how on earth did they shape it so accurately--molding? The fins are perfectly formed.

ron

I have a feeling there are 2-3 types of these pens floating around depending on the source. maybe we can make some sense out of the various user reviews if everyone starts telling which seller they got their pen from. The feeder on my pen is certainly rigid hard rubber and machined.

Edited October 30, 2014 by hari317

[Tas]

Bought my two duffers here.

The feeds don't seem to be plastic and are very flexible.

[k3eax]

Tas, my four trouble-free 590's were purchased from:

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-HERO-Wing-Sung-590-Fountain-Pen-Black-Gold-Rare-1990s-Trim-Gift-With-Box-/291229415036?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43cea0367c

[k3eax]

Is it possible that some vendors have are offering what had been in the past referred to as "second-quality" pens? Second-quality item were those that quality control inspection detected as imperfect.

 

Tas, I would ask eBay to intervene and dispute the purchase with the request that the vendor to send defectless pen.

[Art]

I ordered one of these - could resist. Mine took a long time to come and was pretty dirty/dusty and smelled quite a bit. Cleaned up beautifully with dawn and water. Writes like a dream.

[rwilsonedn]

My problematic version with the flexible feed came from mhestore2009.

ron

[Flounder]

I got round to taking some photos of this quirky beast. They're not great, it's so dark in theevenings now Click to zoom.

 

Size comparison: 1. Kaigelu 316 2. Sheaffer Snorkel 3. WingSung 590 4. Hero 616 Doctor/Jumbo

 

http://i773.photobucket.com/albums/yy19/flounder2009/WingSung%20590/th_Kaigelu316SheafferSnorkelWingSung590Hero616DoctorJumbo.jpg

 

Uncapped Kaigelu 316 and WingSung 590:

 

http://i773.photobucket.com/albums/yy19/flounder2009/WingSung%20590/th_WingSung590Kaigelu316.jpg

 

Uncapped Wingsung 590 and Hero 616 Doctor/Jumbo

 

http://i773.photobucket.com/albums/yy19/flounder2009/WingSung%20590/th_WingSung590Hero616DoctorJumbo.jpg

 

It's bigger than an A6 Journal!

 

http://i773.photobucket.com/albums/yy19/flounder2009/WingSung%20590/th_WingSung590A6Journal.jpg

 

Eating a Sheaffer Snorkel:

 

http://i773.photobucket.com/albums/yy19/flounder2009/WingSung%20590/th_WingSung590SheafferSnorkel.jpg

 

Plating loss at the cap band mural:

 

http://i773.photobucket.com/albums/yy19/flounder2009/WingSung%20590/th_WingSung590PlatingLoss.jpg

 

My feed feels hard, if it's BHR it is very fresh. I thought it was plastic.

 

http://i773.photobucket.com/albums/yy19/flounder2009/WingSung%20590/th_WingSung590Feed.jpg

[Tas]

Tas, my four trouble-free 590's were purchased from:

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-HERO-Wing-Sung-590-Fountain-Pen-Black-Gold-Rare-1990s-Trim-Gift-With-Box-/291229415036?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43cea0367c

 

 

Is it possible that some vendors have are offering what had been in the past referred to as "second-quality" pens? Second-quality item were those that quality control inspection detected as imperfect.

 

Tas, I would ask eBay to intervene and dispute the purchase with the request that the vendor to send defectless pen.

 

Thanks but life's too short to quibble over £6.00. It was a low risk gamble that didn't pay off. No biggy.

To be honest even if the nibs were perfect I find the pen uncomfortable to use.

 

Thanks though.

 

Glad to see others are liking it. I'd have given mine away but I'll keep the feeds for an Ahab / Konrad hack

[hari317]

My problematic version with the flexible feed came from mhestore2009.

ron

my working example came from the same store. they seem to have sold 199 pieces as of now and maybe their stock has some variation with respect to condition.

Best

Hari

[hari317]

My feed feels hard, if it's BHR it is very fresh. I thought it was plastic.

 

i had the same crud on the fins of my feed, good scrubbing with an old toothbrush with feed dipped in dishwashing liquid took the crud off.

[Flounder]

Crud adds character!

 

I'm surprised it survived repeated hand washing with detergent.

[scrivelry]

I got round to taking some photos of this quirky beast. They're not great, it's so dark in theevenings now Click to zoom.

 

Size comparison: 1. Kaigelu 316 2. Sheaffer Snorkel 3. WingSung 590 4. Hero 616 Doctor/Jumbo

 

http://i773.photobucket.com/albums/yy19/flounder2009/WingSung%20590/th_Kaigelu316SheafferSnorkelWingSung590Hero616DoctorJumbo.jpg

 

Uncapped Kaigelu 316 and WingSung 590:

 

http://i773.photobucket.com/albums/yy19/flounder2009/WingSung%20590/th_WingSung590Kaigelu316.jpg

 

Uncapped Wingsung 590 and Hero 616 Doctor/Jumbo

 

http://i773.photobucket.com/albums/yy19/flounder2009/WingSung%20590/th_WingSung590Hero616DoctorJumbo.jpg

 

It's bigger than an A6 Journal!

 

http://i773.photobucket.com/albums/yy19/flounder2009/WingSung%20590/th_WingSung590A6Journal.jpg

 

Eating a Sheaffer Snorkel:

 

http://i773.photobucket.com/albums/yy19/flounder2009/WingSung%20590/th_WingSung590SheafferSnorkel.jpg

 

Plating loss at the cap band mural:

 

http://i773.photobucket.com/albums/yy19/flounder2009/WingSung%20590/th_WingSung590PlatingLoss.jpg

 

My feed feels hard, if it's BHR it is very fresh. I thought it was plastic.

 

http://i773.photobucket.com/albums/yy19/flounder2009/WingSung%20590/th_WingSung590Feed.jpg

 

Eating a Sheaffer Snorkel?

 

"Bad pen! Very bad pen!"

 

Said in authoritative tone while brandishing rolled-up newspaper...

[rwilsonedn]

Update on the non-writing flexible feed: I have cut the ink channel much wider, all the way from base to tip of the feed (thereby defeating the original designer's intent, I'm sure) and now the pen appears to write with some reliability. It still dries out over an hour or two of sitting upright and capped and needs to dip its beak in water, and it still dislikes any traces of oils from my hand on the paper, but otherwise it appears to be behaving pretty well.

ron

[mbradley]

Update on the non-writing flexible feed: I have cut the ink channel much wider, all the way from base to tip of the feed (thereby defeating the original designer's intent, I'm sure) and now the pen appears to write with some reliability. It still dries out over an hour or two of sitting upright and capped and needs to dip its beak in water, and it still dislikes any traces of oils from my hand on the paper, but otherwise it appears to be behaving pretty well.

ron

Just out of curiosity. What type or shade of ink are you using? I experience the nib drying out "thus far" only if writing with some shades of red ink. I have heard this is not uncommon. I do not store my pens in an upright position so am not sure if that is a possible contributor to the drying.

 

Michael

[rwilsonedn]

Just out of curiosity. What type or shade of ink are you using? I experience the nib drying out "thus far" only if writing with some shades of red ink. I have heard this is not uncommon. I do not store my pens in an upright position so am not sure if that is a possible contributor to the drying.

 

Michael

I'm using Waterman green in this pen. It's one of my old reliable inks for learning about a new pen.

ron

[Flounder]

I'd like to add a wee update, now that I've had the WS590 a few months. I really enjoy writing with this pen. The long section is very comfortable, my nib & feed write smoothly without problems. I especially appreciate it after using my Pilot Custom Heritage 92, which doesn't let me relax my grip and spread out as much.

 

I'm no reason to buy another, but I'm glad of this purchase!

[deepak23]

Bit the bullet and ordered one from the seller Hari had so kindly posted the screen shot of. 4 remaining after my purchase. Now to wait the 40 days it takes to travel from HK...