Wing Sung 601: Wanna Make A Repair Attempt

[eharriett]

I have one of the early 2018 editions of the Wing Sung 601. It's been my work pen since I got it. Using it because it is the pen I can give to clients to use for signing without fear. I figured if a client damages, I'm a lot better off than I would be with a vintage.

 

However, to my surprise, it wasn't the clients who damaged the pen but the pen itself. It is now leaking at random times when capped. I am learning how to repair pens but I haven't tried a P51 so I have not the parts or experience to work on a pen like this. Has anyone done a writeup of disassembling and repairing/replacing parts to the Wing Sung 601? I'm not going to fret over the pen leaking. If I cannot repair, it will be tossed and I will replace. But I would very much like to use this as a learning experience to learn how to repair this style of pen.

 

[Honeybadgers]

the 601 is easy-peasey to disassemble. Just unscrew the hood. I'd make a mark with a knife or razor where the feed assembly lines up with the barrel to help reassembly (otherwise you may have to fiddle with it for 4 or 5 minutes trying to align the feed with the hood on reassambly, which is not a big deal.)

 

once you have unscrewed the hood/section, pull the whole clear feed assembly straight out from the barrel. it's only held in by the friction of an O ring. I'd wager that O ring at the base of the feed needs a little silicon grease. Give it a lube and see what happens.

 

there could (but less likely) also be a leak around the piston/pump assembly that requires a little grease. You do need a special tool, available on eBay for $4-5, to unscrew it.

Edited November 18, 2018 by Honeybadgers

[eharriett]

Thank you! Thats what I was looking to find out.

 

If I need to use a special tool to get to the piston pump, whats the tool called, specifically?

[Stefan-Ionut-Marius]

Thank you! Thats what I was looking to find out.

 

If I need to use a special tool to get to the piston pump, whats the tool called, specifically?

 

Here it's one offer for this tool .

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2Pcs-Wing-Sung-601-Fountain-Pen-Vacumatic-End-Open-Tool-For-WingSung-601-601A/232997682972?hash=item363fbe7f1c:g:va8AAOSwCgVb4-po

[Argee]

Thank you! Thats what I was looking to find out.

 

If I need to use a special tool to get to the piston pump, whats the tool called, specifically?

 

A standard 5.5 mm socket will do the job nicely.

[WJM]

Or you could just try with fingers... I had no problem.

[eharriett]

Got the pen apart, and I pulled the piston part at the top, but the pics I saw of one online look different than this. Did the sac tear? Are they all in two pieces like this one is? There's a hairline piece of rubber dangling between these two pieces and the bottom part was packed in there pretty tight. If this is not what it is supposed to look like, I may have found my leak!

 

 

[Honeybadgers]

yeah looks like the sac tore. it should be inverted from how it is.

 

You could try buying a sac for a 51 or sealing that with shellac and seeing how it holds. But the new model 601 uses a double gasket piston seal to create the vacuum, so you could just "upgrade" to that

Edited November 21, 2018 by Honeybadgers

[eharriett]

yeah looks like the sac tore. it should be inverted from how it is.

 

You could try buying a sac for a 51 or sealing that with shellac and seeing how it holds. But the new model 601 uses a double gasket piston seal to create the vacuum, so you could just "upgrade" to that

Just looked online for one of those upgraded gaskets on ebay. Doesn't look like anyone is selling them. I'd rather get the job done right and learn to replace rather than just patch. If no one knows how to get a replacement "upgraded" gasket for the new 601's, will any P51 gasket work? Never done before. This is how I want to learn.

[bass1193]

Just looked online for one of those upgraded gaskets on ebay. Doesn't look like anyone is selling them. I'd rather get the job done right and learn to replace rather than just patch. If no one knows how to get a replacement "upgraded" gasket for the new 601's, will any P51 gasket work? Never done before. This is how I want to learn.

You'll be looking for a vacumatic diaphragm. I've been a happy customer of Indy Pen Dance. The tricky part will be, which size? And will any of the available ones be right? I'd recommend trying the normal 51 size, and definitely get the vac lube too! Otherwise the diaphragm won't seat correctly upon reassembly.

[eharriett]

Normal 51 diaphragm. Got it. Vac lube: not the same as silicone grease? I have that.

[bass1193]

Normal 51 diaphragm. Got it. Vac lube: not the same as silicone grease? I have that.

Yeah, vac lube is thin-ish stuff, and the one Indy Pen Dance sells is apparently a copy of the Parker stuff. It's slightly viscous, and I suspect it's just vegetable glycerin. Buy the real deal, though, just to be safe 😄 it's cheap enough, and you definitely need something to lubricate the diaphragm as you crank down the pump unit.

 

The other thing is, I'm just assuming Victo decided to use a pellet to attach the diaphragm to the pump. Looking at your pics, it's kinda hard to tell. Does it look like the tip of the diaphragm is pushed into the end of the pump unit? That's how Parker did it, with a little bead that friction fit the diaphragm to the pump in a little cup. I hope this makes even the barest sliver of sense 😅

[Honeybadgers]

absolutely let us know how the repair goes - the availability of parts to restore the 601 will really make a huge difference in the pen's long term viability.

[WJM]

Just looked online for one of those upgraded gaskets on ebay. Doesn't look like anyone is selling them. I'd rather get the job done right and learn to replace rather than just patch. If no one knows how to get a replacement "upgraded" gasket for the new 601's, will any P51 gasket work? Never done before. This is how I want to learn.

Likely the only option to get a replacement gasket for 601 is buying a new pen... At this price point not that bad of an option anyway. Then again I also prefer to repair than replace. After all if it can't be repaired then it's basically disposable...

Edited November 24, 2018 by WJM

[bass1193]

Likely the only option to get a replacement gasket for 601 is buying a new pen... At this price point not that bad of an option anyway. Then again I also prefer to repair than replace. After all if it can't be repaired then it's basically disposable...

With how quickly they switched to the piston pump, it seems unlikely that OP will be able to obtain the original Vacumatic-type assembly. Beside which, would a piston pump work with the barrel of the original 601? I'm genuinely curious on both counts

[grainweevil]

Back in May, FrankUnderwater reported that the manufacturer was keeping a small stock of the vacumatic-style pens for "customer service", so perhaps spares can be acquired? But whether outside China, who knows. Be interested to see how this works out myself, as I also have a v.1.0.

[bass1193]

Back in May, FrankUnderwater reported that the manufacturer was keeping a small stock of the vacumatic-style pens for "customer service", so perhaps spares can be acquired? But whether outside China, who knows. Be interested to see how this works out myself, as I also have a v.1.0.

Interesting! Gah, I wish I'd jumped on it when the vacumatics were still available! I'd love to work on one. If anyone wants to unload one with a diaphragm, PM me

[Captspiff]

I tried to find a vacumatic v1 and failed, i don't believe they are sold now your best bet is to buy one from someone. I found a listing on ebay for v1 but they sent a v2 real bummer.

[Mech-for-i]

Ok I'll go through my cache to see if I still got any un-inked new original ones

[eharriett]

My terminology may not be right. The pen is one I bought back in January. Is it a piston or Vacumatic style? What is the difference? I apparently do not know if they are two different things.