Kung Te Cheng...or Equivalents

[IndigoBOB]

I was just watching a video on the Boston Safety Pen that Noodler's has released in limited numbers. They expect to have it as a regular offering, but are having trouble producing the quantity to meet the demand, it seems. At any rate, it occurred to me that this might be the perfect pen for this ink. In theory, when the nib is retracted, it's surrounded by the ink. So the only time it isn't swimming in ink (assuming you keep it pretty full, I suppose) is when it's writing. Wouldn't this be the perfect solution for a thick, cloggy ink like this one?

 

 

Absolutely

[amberleadavis]

OOOO cool idea.

[inkstainedruth]

So. What, you're saying elippman, is that I'm going to need TWO Safety Pens? One for KTC and one for every OTHER crazy non-fp safe ink out there? Thanks a heap.

I haven't been able to get my hands on ONE of the pens yet....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[truthpil]

 

My conclusion:

The warning on the bottle of Kung Te-Cheng is valid and not a joke. I use it unadulterated with an Ebonite Himalaya, which has an ebonite feed and writes wet without hard starts. I love this combo, but I can't use it with cheaper paper.

 

 

I wonder if using an EF nib in the Himalaya would make it more usable on cheap paper.

 

My problem is I like to use this ink with BB or 1.1 stubs which basically means feathering and bleed through on paper I use for regular daily use. Tomoe River and Rhodia are not exactly the cheapest stuff for jotting down notes and scribblings haha.

[IndigoBOB]

 

I wonder if using an EF nib in the Himalaya would make it more usable on cheap paper.

 

My problem is I like to use this ink with BB or 1.1 stubs which basically means feathering and bleed through on paper I use for regular daily use. Tomoe River and Rhodia are not exactly the cheapest stuff for jotting down notes and scribblings haha.

 

 

That's a good question. I was wondered the same thing. I tried out FPR Fine nibs on the Himalaya, but I found I had more trouble finding one that works to my liking than with the Medium nibs since my preference leans towards a the feel of medium nibs in general and FPR nibs can be hit or miss and more feedbacky.

 

I had to 120000 Micromesh a couple of the FPR Fine nibs I bought, but by the time they were usable I personally didn't like the feel of the writing afterwards since I lose too much of the feedback and connection with the paper I like. If you like smoother nibs, then maybe trying out the FPR nibs and Micromeshing them would work.

 

Typically, for finer nibs that are troublesome for me, my method of dealing with them is using Sailor inks like Miruai, Shigure, or Kiwa-Guro since they are more lubricated. However, since the flow of of the Himalaya is so wet I found myself going through these inks faster than I'd like. And with the higher cost of these Sailor inks I didn't feel comfortable with that.

 

Since the nibs on the Himalaya are hit or miss and can be testy, and the flow is so wet, it isn't consistent with how most of my other pens work. As a result the Himalaya has required more tinkering to get right or at least closer to my preferences.

[truthpil]

 

 

That's a good question. I was wondered the same thing. I tried out FPR Fine nibs on the Himalaya, but I found I had more trouble finding one that works to my liking than with the Medium nibs since my preference leans towards a the feel of medium nibs in general and FPR nibs can be hit or miss and more feedbacky.

 

I had to 120000 Micromesh a couple of the FPR Fine nibs I bought, but by the time they were usable I personally didn't like the feel of the writing afterwards since I lose too much of the feedback and connection with the paper I like. If you like smoother nibs, then maybe trying out the FPR nibs and Micromeshing them would work.

 

Typically, for finer nibs that are troublesome for me, my method of dealing with them is using Sailor inks like Miruai, Shigure, or Kiwa-Guro since they are more lubricated. However, since the flow of of the Himalaya is so wet I found myself going through these inks faster than I'd like. And with the higher cost of these Sailor inks I didn't feel comfortable with that.

 

Since the nibs on the Himalaya are hit or miss and can be testy, and the flow is so wet, it isn't consistent with how most of my other pens work. As a result the Himalaya has required more tinkering to get right or at least closer to my preferences.

 

I hear you about the FPR nibs, I probably wouldn't risk trying an EF is the F nibs can be scratchy. For a little more money, a Knox or JoWo #5 might do the trick. Also, the nibs on the Jinhao 991, 992, 599A will fit the Himalaya no problem. They are usually really nice nibs and might not be too wet.

 

I'm still kind of nervous about putting KTC in my Himalaya to test nibs because I don't want to stain the converter haha.

[IndigoBOB]

 

I hear you about the FPR nibs, I probably wouldn't risk trying an EF is the F nibs can be scratchy. For a little more money, a Knox or JoWo #5 might do the trick. Also, the nibs on the Jinhao 991, 992, 599A will fit the Himalaya no problem. They are usually really nice nibs and might not be too wet.

 

I'm still kind of nervous about putting KTC in my Himalaya to test nibs because I don't want to stain the converter haha.

 

 

That's a very good point about the 992 nib. I had forgotten about that . If you swap those out let me know.

 

My converter didn't show any staining and examining it right now it has no staining. I only used filtered water to clean it out.

 

In my experience KCT is nothing close to Baystate Blue .

[truthpil]

 

 

That's a very good point about the 992 nib. I had forgotten about that . If you swap those out let me know.

 

My converter didn't show any staining and examining it right now it has no staining. I only used filtered water to clean it out.

 

In my experience KCT is nothing close to Baystate Blue .

Good to know that the converter won't get stained. Once my ECO runs dry on KTC I'll try it in the Himalaya then. So many nibs fit in the Himalaya that it would open up a world of KTC possibilities.

 

Ah yes, BSB... one ink to stain them all!

[elippman]

I thought I should drop in on this thread and provide some results, as I did get a bottle of KTC and have managed to procure some Cuddles' Flo as well. It took all of my connections in the world of organized crime, but now I need not worry about finding that lubricant.

 

So I tried the combo in 3 pens--FPR Muft eyedropper with a stock fine nib, Sheaffer school pen (vintage 1990s) with a cartridge and medium nib, and a Pilot Metropolitan with a Plumix stub nib (1.0mm). I tried to put a small amount of Cuddles' Flo into each. Of the three, the Sheaffer conked out first. It seems helplessly clogged at this point. The Muft and the Pilot are still going strong, although the color comes out significantly differently between the two. From the Muft, it comes out a rich, dark blue with possible indigo hues, whereas it comes out of the Plumix nib considerably lighter. It was boldest and most impressive from the Sheaffer when that pen was willing to cooperate. So still looking for that perfect combination. The Muft works, but it's not a great writing experience and I don't trust eye-droppers to carry around so much. The Pilot I trust, but the color isn't as impressive. Still holding out hope for the Boston Safety Pen when it becomes available.

 

TruthPil, how is the ECO doing? And what sized nib do you have in it? I wonder if anyone has had the guts to try this ink in a Vac 700. To my eye, the are the wettest among the TWSBIs, but you wouldn't want to clog one.

Edited January 15, 2018 by elippman

[truthpil]

TruthPil, how is the ECO doing? And what sized nib do you have in it? I wonder if anyone has had the guts to try this ink in a Vac 700. To my eye, the are the wettest among the TWSBIs, but you wouldn't want to clog one.

Thanks for sharing your results! I had tried it in a Prera with Plumix stub a while back and got similar results as you.

 

Things have actually improved with the ECO. It seems like it took several days for the feed to get saturated enough, or perhaps enough KTC residue to build up between the feed and nib, to get consistent flow. Today I wrote several pages with it using the FPR 5.5 medium nib I put in it last week and didn't have even one skip or hard start!! It is writing very wet which is nice for the deep indigo saturation I was looking for but also causes feathering issues on any average paper. Before the fill runs out, I'll try a couple more nibs and see how it goes. As I mentioned earlier somewhere, the stock ECO 1.1 stub didn't work at all.

[truthpil]

No dice with the Jinhao 992 nib. It fit too tightly and require a lot of pressure to get ink to flow on to the paper (as was the case with the ECO nib). When the required pressure was applied, the nib wrote a broader line than the FPR medium nib.

[IndigoBOB]

No dice with the Jinhao 992 nib. It fit too tightly and require a lot of pressure to get ink to flow on to the paper (as was the case with the ECO nib). When the required pressure was applied, the nib wrote a broader line than the FPR medium nib.

 

 

That's unfortunate.

 

I'm glad you had some luck with the Eco. It makes all the difference when you get that wet deep saturation... makes you want to make it work even more, and the next thing you know...

 

...I have a noodler's Ebonite Konrad on the way (I love ebonite pens) that I think might do the trick.

 

I love Ebonite pens so it was a good excuse... I mean reason to get one.

[truthpil]

I think I may go the ebonite route as well for a KTC pen. I'm thinking an Indian ebonite pen fitted with a JoWo stub and ebonite feed might do the trick, just so long as there's no hole drilled in the cap (which seems common on Indian ebonite pens).

[ENewton]

The only pen in which I ever used KTC was a Dollar 717i pen, and the flow was just lovely. If I hadn't read so many conflicting reports online, I would have characterized KTC as a "richly saturated deep blue ink with outstanding flow," similar to Shigure except with much less purple in it.

 

The ink did stain the pen, but given the very low cost of the pen, I don't mind the blue tinge. Also, although mine is a transparent pen, I think there are also opaque Dollar pens, which would make staining less of an issue.

[truthpil]

The only pen in which I ever used KTC was a Dollar 717i pen, and the flow was just lovely. If I hadn't read so many conflicting reports online, I would have characterized KTC as a "richly saturated deep blue ink with outstanding flow," similar to Shigure except with much less purple in it.

 

The ink did stain the pen, but given the very low cost of the pen, I don't mind the blue tinge. Also, although mine is a transparent pen, I think there are also opaque Dollar pens, which would make staining less of an issue.

It's good to know it works well in the 717i. With that pen did it reach full saturation? For me, it's just a boring blurple unless it the pen writes wet and brings out the indigo shading.

 

Did you have any hard starts after leaving the pen for a day or so? I'm concerned about the seal of the cap on those cheaper pens that probably don't have any inner cap to prevent dry out.

 

Sorry, one more question. I just realized these are piston fillers, so have you had any problems with KTC causing the piston to lock up or become more difficult to move? I could totally see KTC leaving a residue in the chamber that would bog down the piston.

Edited January 16, 2018 by TruthPil

[ENewton]

 

It's good to know it works well in the 717i. With that pen did it reach full saturation? For me, it's just a boring blurple unless it the pen writes wet and brings out the indigo shading.

 

Did you have any hard starts after leaving the pen for a day or so? I'm concerned about the seal of the cap on those cheaper pens that probably don't have any inner cap to prevent dry out.

 

Sorry, one more question. I just realized these are piston fillers, so have you had any problems with KTC causing the piston to lock up or become more difficult to move? I could totally see KTC leaving a residue in the chamber that would bog down the piston.

 

In the 717i, the ink seemed very saturated--a rich, jewel-tone blue glowing with purple undertones. I experienced no hard starts. In fact, my experience was such that I would have recommended the ink for its flow alone. I was not persuaded to buy a bottle, because the color was bluer than I expected. (All my inks except one are purple.) Diluting it, which had been suggested as a means of bringing out the purple, made the flow less luxuriant and the color less interesting.

 

I had no problems whatever with the piston locking up. The only problem I had was with staining. Even alcohol did not entirely lift the stain.

[truthpil]

Very helpful, thanks!

I especially like that the 717 is also available with an oblique italic ("Qalam") nib. It looks like one of those 3-packs may be in the stars for me. =P

[ENewton]

Very helpful, thanks!

I especially like that the 717 is also available with an oblique italic ("Qalam") nib. It looks like one of those 3-packs may be in the stars for me. =P

 

I hope that your experience will be similar to mine. Posts here on FPN suggest that this (and other inks by the name manufacturer) can vary in color and behavior from bottle to bottle. I will think good thoughts...

[elippman]

Suggestions on the best routes to get this type of pen? I see some on Etsy, some on eBay. Is there some store in particular that carries them?

[truthpil]

Suggestions on the best routes to get this type of pen? I see some on Etsy, some on eBay. Is there some store in particular that carries them?

 

I just ordered a 3-pack on Ebay. Just under $12 including global shipping!

I hope the picture is accurate and one of the pens is a fine point. Now to wait a month or so for it to arrive!