Wing Sung "triumph" Nibs

[bob_hayden]

A post under a specific Wing Sung model asked about the Triumph shaped nibs. I thought I should start a new thread here since these nibs appear in several models: 233. 234. 235. 239, 322 (two different pens with the same model number!), 380, 840, 841, and 9901 are models I own that might be said to have Triumph-like nibs. The nibs come in gold, silver, and two-tone colors, and two lengths: 1.6cm and 2.0cm. Nibs are available separately on eBay but I have yet to see a listing that said whether the seller is offering the long or short versions. The pens numbered below 239 have the long nib and those above 239 the short nib. They do not immediately look that different as the short one usually has a steel trim ring between the nib and section that makes the length of metal parts about the same as on the pens with the long nibs (except for one model which has both the long nib and the trim ring).

 

The 239 is a bit of an outlier. From the top, and in most eBay photos, it looks like an extra long Triumph-style nib but if you rotate the nib you find it is more of an inlaid nib with a cross section like a flat oval and only extending half way around the section.

 

The various pens with the Triumph-style nibs range from very conservative to very ostentatious. The nibs feel rather nail like but unlike the Sheaffer original, they can flex a bit and give a little line variation. However, be warned not to bend them too much. I tried to spread the tines on one that would hardly feed ink at all and just a little pressure sprung it. To me the metal feels like a different material than most FP nibs. It is very tough -- if you try to smooth it with Micro Mesh you may have to spend some time at it. But it is not very springy and may not return to its original shape if you bend it much. I would prefer a real Sheaffer if you intend to bear down and make ten carbons.

 

Some models look quite classy while others look rather cheap. One common feature on old Wing Sungs is trim parts that appear to be made of hardware-grade steel with no shine to it.

 

The out of the box writing experience is generally poor. A majority of mine had an unpleasant gritty feel to them that I have not experienced with any other nibs. But if you take the time to smooth them they can be somewhat toothy but pleasant writers. The main virtue is that they just work and last forever. I don't think I have ever had an old WS pen break or crack or refuse to work at all as I have had with many a modern Jinhao.

 

I have one Sheaffer with a real Triumph nib and it does indeed have a nicer feel to it -- for ten times the price. The WSs run about $5 each on eBay though if you buy in quantity or in lots of assorted models you can get them for half that. Generally people are interested in these for the styling and they do have that. I have reviewed many of these here at FPN. I find it easiest to get to the reviews by doing a general Google search like "wing sung 841 fpn". Click on images to see true proportions -- FPN sometimes scrunches them to fit on a page.

[senzen]

Thank you! Very informative.

[sciumbasci]

Aren't WS series 3xx and 8xx all old stock from the 90s?

Is there any modern triumph nib clone, beside the 601a?

Also how much thinkering are we talking? I quite fancy Chinese nibs out of the box, but I don't like to go much further than inserting a brass shim into the slit to open up the tines a little bit

[inkstainedruth]

Add Wing Sung 237 to the model list with Triumph nibs. Somebody gave me one a few years ago (he decided he didn't like fine or extra fine nibs).

For being a cheap pen, it's a very well made and attractive one, and the nib is very smooth. I could easily see myself buying some 237s in other colors, if the price was right.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[bob_hayden]

First let me mention that these are (nearly?) all bottle-fill-only. There are old WS pens that look like they have the same filling mechanism but theirs pull out while most old WSs do not -- you will just pull the aluminum sheath off the bulb. Rather than do that I just pull gently and if it does not pop right out I let it be. This means some pens I have may just have converters that resisted and so I don't know they are converters. The converters can sometimes be identified by a bit of white plastic between the aluminum and the section. The WS 500 for example has this sort of converter but can take Parker/Lamy/Hero 359 cartridges as well.

 

Ruth, I don't have a 237, but they appear to have the same nib. They currently cost more than twice as much as any of the pens I did mention -- nearly as much as the new 601a.

 

Aren't WS series 3xx and 8xx all old stock from the 90s?
Is there any modern triumph nib clone, beside the 601a?
Also how much thinkering are we talking? I quite fancy Chinese nibs out of the box, but I don't like to go much further than inserting a brass shim into the slit to open up the tines a little bit

 

I know nothing about the old numbering systems.

 

According to #24 in the thread on the 601a

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/339907-wing-sung-601a/page-2

 

the nibs in the 601a are NOS so there may not be ANY modern Triumph nib clones.

 

How much tinkering depends on the condition of the pen you get and how much you want to change it. I have yet to find one I would call "smooth" out of the box, but you can find plenty of reviews (such as the reviews linked for the 601) that marvel at how smooth these nibs are. And reviews that say they are "junk", I have no explanation for the widely varying opinions. Those who think they are already smooth spend no time smoothing them;-)

[Honeybadgers]

the nibs are old stock, but they're being put on a new wing sung 601a variant of the 601 vacumatic. I like the look but dislike the big honking "MADE IN CHINA" stamped on the nib.

[sansenri]

I have an 842 with the same nib and it's a mixed bag.

 

It was bought for about 6 euro. Can be found for less but I bought it from a reliable seller.

It looks reasonably nice, the green marble effect is lacquer style, not very accurately done, but it's not too bad if you do not inspect it too close...

I like the shape of it, it's built in brass and looks very durable, the weight is right, it's also balanced uncapped (and it's reasonably long to be used uncapped), only the section is far too thin to make it very comfortable.

The main issue is the nib leaks ink where it's attached to the section (you can see a faint hint of purple/red, as I was using Diamine Syrah in it).

The nib was awfully scratchy and I did have to spend some time smoothing it. Micromesh was not enough, I had to start with rougher abrasive, and then smoothed it with micromesh.

There is a squeeze converter in it that can be replaced by a cartridge (it's not glued in like in some very cheap Chinese pens).

The seller said it's NOS from the 90s made by the former Wing Sung and is no longer under production.

 

 

[bob_hayden]

It's currently about the price of the pen Ruth mentioned or the 601a. (And thanks to both of you for adding to the list. I think there are still more but there are old Wing Sungs that have not been seen on eBay in many years.) Unlike most nibs, these screw on, and I have experienced leaks when the nib is not fully seated. You could experiment with trying to tighten it, but I found it hard to keep nib and feed aligned when I did that. I did get rid of the leak, though;-)

[sansenri]

Thank you! I had never thought that the nib might be screwed on! I will try that and see if it improves.

[Honeybadgers]

It's currently about the price of the pen Ruth mentioned or the 601a. (And thanks to both of you for adding to the list. I think there are still more but there are old Wing Sungs that have not been seen on eBay in many years.) Unlike most nibs, these screw on, and I have experienced leaks when the nib is not fully seated. You could experiment with trying to tighten it, but I found it hard to keep nib and feed aligned when I did that. I did get rid of the leak, though;-)

 

Alternatively, you could try what we do when restoring old sheaffer triumph nibs that have a propensity to leak - a TINY drop of shellac around the seam with the nib unscrewed an eighth or so of a turn, tighten, wipe clean. usually works a treat.

Edited November 16, 2018 by Honeybadgers

[Sholom]

I guess I've been lucky with how the nibs write. I've been through at least three 234s and a green 237 (a wonderful writer) but every one has ultimately failed in some unrepairable way. I actually put a pen together from the good parts of the set of 234s and used it for a few years but eventually it failed too. I still have an 824 that works, although probably the least good nib of all of them (good enough to use without modification though). The shellac fix is a good idea when tightening is insufficient. I tried both silicone grease and a tiny piece of Teflon tape before getting some shellac - shellac is best but very sparingly. I'm pretty sure that the 234 and 237 nibs won't fit the 824 unfortunately.

[Honeybadgers]

I just got a 601a and am impressed. it's very smooth and wet and fine. Still not really going to recommend it over the 601 since it still just looks a little doofy.

[matt49]

Thank you for the original post , its was very interesting.

I have a wing sung 842 with a triumph style nib , when i received the pen its was quite dry but i opened the tines very slightly and now it writes beautifully.

The nib is stiff but gives a little pleasant feedback.

The pen was sold to me as vintage New old stock , I don't know when the pen was made but i like it a lot.

Edited August 18, 2019 by matt49