Kung Te-Cheng

[HDoug]

I want to add more, but have to run out for Christmas stuff right now. I thought a scan would be helpful to the curious so here it is. It flows very well, quite wet, in the supplied eye dropper fountain pen. I very lightly stubbed the nib which you can barely notice here. I think this ink will get into my other pens regardless of the warning on the label that the ink should only be used in the supplied eye dropper fountain and felt tip pens.

 

I'll take pics of the document and the bottle etc. a little later on. For now...

 

http://homepage.mac.com/hdougmatsuoka/images/pen/KungTeCheng.jpg

 

And a close up of part of the above:

 

http://homepage.mac.com/hdougmatsuoka/images/pen/KungTeChengClose.jpg

 

Doug

 

 

 

[WillSW]

It'd be nice if Nathan told us more specifically why the warning was put on. We know that it's probably to avoid another Yellow Safari, but is there information on acidity and other factors available?

 

The ink looks very nice, once again.

Edited December 26, 2008 by WillSW

[Breck]

Awesome. I can't wait for mine to get here!

[lovemy51]

nice looking ink! thanx for the review. how close is this one to PR dc supershow blue?

[Bug Guy]

nice looking ink! thanx for the review. how close is this one to PR dc supershow blue?

 

I would say the KTC is a darker and more purplish than the PR DCSB. Also, all the Noodler bulletproof inks I've tried tends to dry to a chalky looking color. This ink does not.

 

[Breck]

I've tried this ink on Rhodia paper, and somehow that seems to really suck the life out of this color. Maybe I need to give it another go, or just use different paper. It seemed livelier on Clairefontaine, if I recall correctly.

[lovemy51]

nice looking ink! thanx for the review. how close is this one to PR dc supershow blue?

 

I would say the KTC is a darker and more purplish than the PR DCSB. Also, all the Noodler bulletproof inks I've tried tends to dry to a chalky looking color. This ink does not.

thanx!

[Peter from Sherwood Park]

It'd be nice if Nathan told us more specifically why the warning was put on. We know that it's probably to avoid another Yellow Safari, but is there information on acidity and other factors available?

 

The ink looks very nice, once again.

 

Agreed -- this is a good looking ink. I would like to know is it is presumed to be safe on other eyedroppers or just the one that comes with the ink.

[Nibble]

I have filled my Vanishing Point with this ink. I can't see any problems.

 

My guess is that the colour is so strong that it may be hard to wash out.

 

[xmattxyzx]

I've tried this ink on Rhodia paper, and somehow that seems to really suck the life out of this color. Maybe I need to give it another go, or just use different paper. It seemed livelier on Clairefontaine, if I recall correctly.

Yeah, what is the deal with that? It's most vibrant, I've found, on cheap printer paper.

 

Also, does anyone have any Kung Te-Cheng injuries/explosions to report yet?

Edited January 6, 2009 by xmattxyzx

[andy1m]

Very nice deep blue. I like this colour very much. Thanks for sharing.

[Breck]

I've tried this ink on Rhodia paper, and somehow that seems to really suck the life out of this color. Maybe I need to give it another go, or just use different paper. It seemed livelier on Clairefontaine, if I recall correctly.

Yeah, what is the deal with that? It's most vibrant, I've found, on cheap printer paper.

 

Also, does anyone have any Kung Te-Cheng injuries/explosions to report yet?

 

No explosions or anything (still only using this ink in the freebie pen), but I just wanted to report that it looks really dull and washed out on Field Notes paper, too. I don't think I've ever had an ink whose color varied this much from paper to paper - bleeding, wetness and feathering variation, sure, but never actual color. Odd.

 

Update: Just tried it on Tsubame paper and on the inside cover of a paperback book, and it looks more vibrant on those two, but still considerably less blue than the scan above.

 

I'm waiting on a dip pen to arrive. When it does, I'll add scans using that.

[StephY]

I've kept the KTC to the Preppy so far, and am wondering if anyone is experience drying out issues?

 

I inked the pen and wrote with it for about a page the first day, then what with the holidays and travel it was laid down unused for about ten days. Came back to it and it started writing without much issue (first line had some skipping, but that's to be expected for a pen that's been down so long, right?). Now I've been using it periodically since Monday and have noticed that it will just dry out, say after two and a half pages. Bone dry, people. Light shaking didn't work. Setting it nib down didn't work. Finally I had to dip the nib in water and wipe it to get it going again. Half a day later (maybe another two pages), I needed to do it again.

 

Is it the Preppy? The ink? Anyone else?

[Bug Guy]

I've kept the KTC to the Preppy so far, and am wondering if anyone is experience drying out issues?

 

I inked the pen and wrote with it for about a page the first day, then what with the holidays and travel it was laid down unused for about ten days. Came back to it and it started writing without much issue (first line had some skipping, but that's to be expected for a pen that's been down so long, right?). Now I've been using it periodically since Monday and have noticed that it will just dry out, say after two and a half pages. Bone dry, people. Light shaking didn't work. Setting it nib down didn't work. Finally I had to dip the nib in water and wipe it to get it going again. Half a day later (maybe another two pages), I needed to do it again.

 

Is it the Preppy? The ink? Anyone else?

 

I don't think I ever leave a pen there for TEN days. The most I go is about three days. I have some drying problem with my Hero 329, but not to the extent you describe. Then again, the 329 always is a dry nib. A little shaking always solves the problem for me. However, I have not had a problem with Preppy yet. I will try out some in my Namiki VP as soon as I use up the ink in those two pens.

 

[WillSW]

I've kept the KTC to the Preppy so far, and am wondering if anyone is experience drying out issues?

 

I inked the pen and wrote with it for about a page the first day, then what with the holidays and travel it was laid down unused for about ten days. Came back to it and it started writing without much issue (first line had some skipping, but that's to be expected for a pen that's been down so long, right?). Now I've been using it periodically since Monday and have noticed that it will just dry out, say after two and a half pages. Bone dry, people. Light shaking didn't work. Setting it nib down didn't work. Finally I had to dip the nib in water and wipe it to get it going again. Half a day later (maybe another two pages), I needed to do it again.

 

Is it the Preppy? The ink? Anyone else?

 

My uneducated opinion is that there is some clogging going on. I have a pen that will suddenly go completely dry (with the gentle J. Herbin), but it starts perfectly after a couple seconds. Kung Te-Cheng is truly a beast!

 

[StephY]

I don't think I ever leave a pen there for TEN days. The most I go is about three days. I have some drying problem with my Hero 329, but not to the extent you describe. Then again, the 329 always is a dry nib. A little shaking always solves the problem for me. However, I have not had a problem with Preppy yet. I will try out some in my Namiki VP as soon as I use up the ink in those two pens.

 

Yeah, I thought 10 days was a bit much, but with the chaos of the holidays I completely forgot to empty and flush before I went away. I thought I was lucky for it to start up again right after I came back. I was going to sing the Preppy and KTC's praises about how 10 days didn't touch them, but then, well, seems like it did, hmm?

[StephY]

My uneducated opinion is that there is some clogging going on. I have a pen that will suddenly go completely dry (with the gentle J. Herbin), but it starts perfectly after a couple seconds. Kung Te-Cheng is truly a beast!

 

You are right about it being a beast. I wonder if it's the Preppy though. I have a few cheapies coming in on Monday from isellpens.com, perhaps I'll toss caution to the wind and put it in a Pilot 78 and see what happens.

[Breck]

I dunno about the pen being to blame. I have one of those Preppies loaded with a Hunter Green/Black mix that I barely use once (maybe twice) a month. and it's never given me a lick of trouble. Methinks there's something to do with the ink on this one, which means I had better make a point of using mine more often, I guess.

 

 

[HerosNSuch]

I dunno about the pen being to blame. I have one of those Preppies loaded with a Hunter Green/Black mix that I barely use once (maybe twice) a month. and it's never given me a lick of trouble. Methinks there's something to do with the ink on this one, which means I had better make a point of using mine more often, I guess.

 

 

The problem could be with the Preppy. They come with a cheaper version of Platinum's #3 nib that has problems with consistency. I've had to floss a good many of them to get good, even flow. Others almost seem to want to weep from the tines and need a good squeezing together.

 

Try it in another cheapo that you know is consistent and see if the problem persists.

[psfred]

I have some nib drying problems with Polar Blue and the Preppy eyedropper as I only use the pen for signing thing and notebook entries at my two day a week job (the other three I use black ink). After one fill (and six months) I finally dunked the nib today, and it seems to have gone back to it's normal wet self.

 

I'll see what this new ink does when I get it, just ordered it and X-Feather tonight -- I'd love to have a darker blue waterproof ink, and my lab books at the three day a week job feather and bleed something terrible.

 

Not that I need more ink.....

 

Peter