Thanks Doug, I enjoyed this video. I appreciate the time you put into producing them and it seems each one is better than the last. I have one of the original beta 699s and love it. It was a great writer right out of the crushed box. Your blue one is beautiful and I'm trying to be strong, but you may have pushed me over the edge to buy it.
Hey, Trace! Thank you so much for the kind words. They are appreciated. I'm glad your 699 is great! You don't have to be strong, Trace. It is $20. I spend that on a night out with my wife! (2 subway subs, two drinks with cookies) ;)
I got this around October 21 .. Forgot I had it, watched video and ordered the blue one. (I still haven't gotten it) About a week ago I found the one I purchased a whole ago. I inked it and fell in love with it. I was surprised that the nib was great and it didn't need to be tuned out of the box.
I have one of these and it's my favorite drawing pen. However I noticed a small crack in the barrel at the top where the end cap screws on and I'm concerned about it expanding so I ordered a second. I also had to play with the nib for awhile to get it flowing nicely. But when the pen is $20, you can do that. Now I can write smoothly in any direction and in reverse, which gives me a choice of two line widths. Never had any trouble filling it to more than half. Plus, you can turn it over like a syringe, shoot the air out, and fill the rest. Thank you for the video!
They are inexpensive enough to get another! I know that trick of turning it over and pushing some air out... however, I always put a tissue around the nib when I do that so I don't get a geyser of ink all over!
@@InkquiringMinds did just that with my 3013. I'm considering putting frame around the splatter on the wall for giggles. But it was a cheap dye-based ink so it faded a lot since due to sunlight.
glad you sorted the cap posting problem it had me puzzled as mine posted as deep as yours eventually did as for the suction next time its empty push the plunger almost to the point were the vacuum is released it should spring back with some force
Thanks, Paul. Yeah, I tried that trick of testing the suction but it never sprung back at all. It is fine now though, as I can plunge the piston a couple of times and get about 2/3 of a fill which is very good.
Enjoyed the review. I have not tried a polishing compound. I use polishing pads that work well for me. Nice to see the errata. Taking apart pens that have so many pieces can be challenging. I agree with your evaluation, my 699 has not become an EDC. Just not exciting, my 456s are great EDCs.
Thanks, Chris. I blame you of course. I have to take things to pieces to see how they work, I'm just not as diligent as you to keep track of the pieces. I'd be a terrible surgeon. A viewer asked me the difference between injection molded plastic and turned acrylic resin. Not being an engineer, I just gave a "feel" answer. Perhaps you've answered that question before in one of your videos, but I'd be interested to learn the physical and technical differences. My guess was the difference in feel was due to hardness?
@@InkquiringMinds Both are plastics, polymers. Injection-molded is thermoplastic, the plastic/resin is heated until liquid then injected into a metal mold where it cools & solidifies to the desired shape. The quality of the finished piece is based on the thermoplastic which has a range of hardness & impact resistance & the molding process, which if cycled quickly could induce stresses. Acrylic resins are a mix of two liquids (like epoxy), cold poured and solidifies from a chemical reaction. Usually poured as a sheet (cut into blanks) or cylinder. Then turned in a lathe to the desired pen piece. The turned resin generally will have better properties (harder & more durable) than an injected molded piece. Because acrylic resins are cold poured they can have more visual variety than injected molded. That is my 10,000 foot view. In school, many many years ago, I worked with these plastics, including bakelite, which is a thermoset plastic.
I'm attempting to change inks and was wondering how did you remove the piston rod mechanism? It looks like it is reverse threaded, but I can't seem to get a strong enough grip to loosen it. Thx!
I put an elastic band around the jaws of some needle nosed pliers and turned carefully not to damage the pen. But now I have the wrench designed for it. Bought it on eBay.
I have two, clear and amber. Removed the inner cap on both and also removed the O-ring internally. Obviously not up to 823 standards but good quality for the price. Nice review.
Very high calibre review! I have used the Meguiar's Scratch X20 for the .past year on my pens. It has been so useful that the tube is now a permanent part of my pen worktable, and I will need to buy another tube next spring for my cars. I believe that X20 is a bit more aggressive than what you use, but it has yet to harm a barrel.
Thanks so much, Joel! I have Scratch X20 as well. I used it on my Rickenbacker guitars (car finish). The Meguiar's Swirl Remover 2.0 is more gentle and I bought that bottle to use on my nitrocellulose finished guitars (Gibsons and a Martin). I used to use a wonderful product called Virtuoso Guitar Polish but it ran out and is impossible to get at a reasonable price in Canada. The Meguiar's works wonders on acrylic pen bodies.
Was the filling mechanisam interrupt by switching the rings? I love that pen, waiting for one ordered on ebay. Thank you so much for this video. I have WS 699 in brown and thet one which is on its way to me is blue.
Yes, I believe so Lokomisleni! I think the larger ring didn't allow the threads to completely seal the ink chamber. That's why you saw ink dripping out of the nib as well. Now that I've put it back the proper way, the vacuum seal is much better though no where near the vacuum pressure on my PenBBS 456. I still have to push the rod on the 699 very quickly to get a fill.
What other nibs can you fit into the pen? I know it takes #6 bit I think the nibs is a bit shorter than the standard size (e.g. Bock or Kaigelu). Will a standard nib size fit with the cap clearance?
The Kaigelu long blade nib is 4mm longer than the WS nib and the cap will not close completely without hitting the Kaigelu nib. The WS nib is around 31.5mm long so you'll need to find a nib that is no longer than that.
Hi Doug, as much as our pen hobby is serious business, I do enjoy the humour you put into your video; so keep it going. On a serious note I do own Brown 699 with a 0.5mm nib for about 2 months now. It sits in my shirt pocket every day to work with me and I thoroughly enjoy using it. I agree that once you get used to the vacuum filler mechanism, it is a piece of cake.
I've had some not so great experiences with Wing Sung (3008, 698) in the past, so my 626 and now this 699 are pleasant surprises. Thanks for the kind comments on the video, it is much appreciated!
Hi Doug, thank you for this review. I just want to tell you that it would be a good idea if you do not disassemble the pens or mess around with the nibs. Just present the pen as it comes right out of the box. At the end of the video you can present all the improvements that you have made to the pen. In this way I think, the review will show more transparent and unbiass. I like your videos.
Thanks! Fortunately you only get to see 4 square feet of it! It is my music studio as well and full of guitar projects and tools! So it is constantly a mess. This part of my desk is where I journal and as a retired professor of stage lighting design, the ambiance of the lighting is very important!
As I told you in your pen news video, I was really looking forward to this video, so thanks for delivering ! What I've noticed is that I really find the finial/section/blind cap color to be ugly compared to the rest of the resin... Too bad, I'm really having a lot of fun with both my pens. Also, you seem to be enjoying the F nib, but if you ever want to try out another nib, an M nib in particular, the Kaigelu 316 M nib is a perfect fit for that feed/section. Have a good day !
Hey Vince! It doesn't really show up on the video, but the finial, blind cap and section plastic/colour is really dull compared to the brilliance of the boy and cap. That's an intriguing thought about the Kaigelu 316 nibs! I have three 316s. However, what I've read about the Kaigelu nib/feeds is that they are glued into the sections and it is quite the operation to get them out. However, it might be interesting to compare the Wing Sung 699/626 nibs to JinHao #6 (or Yowo or Bock etc) which are available in large range of nib grades.
I did a bit more research about the size of the Kaigelu 316 and the Wing Sung 699. Both nibs are bigger than #5 but smaller than #6, so you are quite right Vincent. The 316 and 699 are the same size but very unique.
@@InkquiringMinds That's unfortunate about your 316s being glued together, I guess I got lucky with mine because it came appart easily. Nevertheless I found a pair of spare 316 nibs on eBay, you should check it out. They're less than 7€ for me, it's going to run you a little extra in Canadian dollars but if it's less than $10, I think it's a great buy for the 699.
Hey gadgetstop! They are certainly affordable! You might want to consider spending an extra few dollars and get the PenBBS 456. It is acrylic resin and clear as glass and writes like a dream. You wouldn't be disappointed.
Hi Doug, How did you take the piston-rod set out from the body of the pen? I see there is a black connector screwed into the body on one side and allowing the blind cap to be screwed on the other, but I just do not figure out how to unscrew it from the body without harming these latter threads. I cannot find that operation in any of the videos available in RU-vid, but, just to make it more confusing, I have seen a special tool for sale in eBay that helps with separating the blindcap from the rod(?) Thanks
Hey, Jose! I wrapped a piece of rubber around the threads and just unscrewed it with my bare hands. It took a bit to get it loose, but it finally came free. A large rubber band will also work. I wouldn't put any kind of metal tool on that plastic. Also, I don't see any reason at all to remove the blind cap from the rod.
This is one of my favorite pens (though I don't have this nice blue!) I have two. The first developed a slight crack near the tip of the barrel and I was afraid it would grow and leak so I bought a second. Both nibs were great right out of the box.
I bought 2 of these pens. I noticed when I unscrew the cap, I felt grinding. When I zoomed into the threads on the pen where the cap goes into, I noticed the threads were really jagged and messed up. I had this issue on 2 pens. Does anyone else have messed up threads? I'm wondering if this is a quality control issue or just bad luck.
I think it is both. They make these by the thousands and when they cut the threads, acrylic dust and debris can get in those threads and grind them. Possible a worker not diligent enough in cleaning the cut threads before screwing on the cap.
Thanks, Tim! Much appreciated. I'll continue doing them then! :) And, yes, I agree. I was thinking just that as I was inking this pen and writing with it... soooo spoiled with PenBBS. It is a slippery slope when you start experiencing better and better quality. After I retired from teaching, I sold guitars for a couple of years and used to tell my customers NOT to try that Martin on the top row unless you want to spoil your experience with the Yamaha or Epiphone guitar you love. You can't unhear / unfeel the quality experience.
Douglas Rathbun yes indeed. My 480 amber arrived and I’m awaiting a 323 in amber and another 480 in the Galaxy. Videos which you and others make this possible. Thanks.
Yes it did! I'm sure the wrong ring kept the seal from being airtight and that's why the vacuum wasn't strong and ink was leaking out the nib. Now fixed, it is still not as strong as my 456 but I got a really good fill with three plunges into the ink.
Another fine beauty I will now need to track down, hunt, catch, kill (bring home). Was disappointed I didn’t get to walk in the snow with you, where I stay warm in my house. Well, I can’t really stay warm. I live in a cabin, with no heater and lots of windows. We got a deep dusting of Hail this evening so I’m dressed in many layers. But about the pens. I got my “Amber is a Cat” and it’s perfect. I inked it with Krishna Halloween Orange (Orange with a bit of brown) and it’s a good match. Next fill will probably be a dark blue. Bungubox makes a medium blue, that has a really nice red sheen on good paper. It’s like a tamer version of Organic Studios Nitrogen which I love. But, I love that pen, it is easy to watch as you roll it under the light. My husband was even impressed, and is slowly being converted to nice pens.
I'm so pleased your Amber Cat is as wonderful as mine (and my wife's). The Amber Cat and Galaxy sit beside me as my prize possessions now (and I own a Visconti!!). I couldn't bring you with me on my trip to the mailbox this time because it was a white-out blizzard. I had to hold my hat on my head to keep from getting swept away!
Thanks for the question, Lowkster! It is hard to describe, but yes, you can feel the difference between turned acrylic resin and injection molded plastic. I think it has to do with the hardness of acrylic over plastic. I'm no chemist or engineer, but something that is hot and liquid and injected into a mold and then cooled is way different than something very hard that is turned in a lathe. My PenBBS 456 feels like glass where this WingSung 699 feels like plastic. I hope that helps!
