Kung Te-Cheng Opinions?

[SeeksAdvice]

Color is okay, the other attributes aren't. Nib creep, ink going places it shouldn't, etc. KTC isn't shirt friendly, and when ink oozes into places it shouldn't be, that's a problem.

[truthpil]

My Prera Stub (i.e., Plumix nib) + KTC experiment didn't turn out as well as I had hoped...

 

Long story, short: the seal on the Prera cap is not tight enough to prevent KTC from drying out in the nib and feed within a few days.

 

Long story, long:

 

The pen worked okay (N.B. not wonderfully) if used once a day to keep fresh ink in the feed.
Even then, there were times when the nib would run dry after writing about a page, so I'd have to crank the converter to get it started again. Definitely not suitable for long writing sessions or if you need to write without stopping. Taking the pen apart to play with the converter every few minutes can get tiresome.

 

Furthermore, after letting the pen sit untouched for 3 days it was very hard to get the ink flowing again and I had to twist the converter a couple times to shove some ink into the feed. Now the underside of the nib has dried ink all over it which will be a challenge to get rid of when cleaning.Fortunately, the pen didn't clog after 3 days, but given how dried out it was I was too nervous to try leaving it for a longer period of time.

 

All things considered, using a Prera with KTC is just like using most pens with the ink.
The pen needs to be used regularly and can't be left to sit idle for days the way KTC can be left in a Preppy.

 

One nice thing I discovered is that the dryness of the Plumix nib in the Prera helped a lot to reduce undiluted KTC's feathering. The ink flows well in this combination (again, if used constantly) and put down a lovely crisp line on most paper.

[truthpil]

I currently have it loaded in a Platinum 3776 century. The pair is a match made in heaven. Before this I had it in a Franklin-Christoph which was horrible.

 

I just realized that the 3776 is one of Platinum's pens that has the same "slip-and-seal" cap system as the Preppy. Perhaps that's one reason why KTC works well in the pen.

Would you say that the ink stays wetter in the 3776 than in other pens? I'm curious because I'm considering buying a soft fine 3776 for inks like KTC than can dry out easily in most pens.

[justaninker]

Dilute your KTC folks, this ink is waaay too concentrated to be used neat out of the bottle. My KTC used to dry out in a fine preppy, after 40% dilution it starts faithfully in the same pen even after weeks of sitting idle. Nib creeping cannot be cured with dilution, however.

[displacermoose]

 

I just realized that the 3776 is one of Platinum's pens that has the same "slip-and-seal" cap system as the Preppy. Perhaps that's one reason why KTC works well in the pen.

Would you say that the ink stays wetter in the 3776 than in other pens? I'm curious because I'm considering buying a soft fine 3776 for inks like KTC than can dry out easily in most pens.

Definitely. The slip-and-seal is why I put it in that pen to start with, that and unlike most 3776's this one is quite wet. I dilute it (4ink:1water) as well to cut back on the chalky feel.

[displacermoose]

[sigh] Somehow KTC managed to get difficult in the 3776. I have never had a hard start from that pen, and it had seemed to be doing so well. When I pulled the nib and cleaned it out there wasn't any obvious build up, but I did have Carbon Black in that pen the fill before so it's going to have a nice rest and a diet of iro and Herbin for a while by way of apology. I'm going to have to experiment with some dish soap in the KTC in a cheepy. For science. And because I have a huge bottle of that ink and want to be able to use it.

[truthpil]

Thanks for the update. It's good to know that the pen wasn't hard to clean after having KTC in it a while.

It ended up that the Prera I had KTC in for a week, despite looking terrible around the nib, actually cleaned up quite quickly with no scrubbing required.

 

After my time of testing, I've had to come to grips with the fact that in its undiluted form I always get hard starts from KTC in any pen I try. Even the Preppy 05 I put it in this week is hard to start every time I go to write with it. It writes a nice rich saturated line that shows off the ink, but the constant dry starts are driving me crazy. As much as I enjoy the color, once the sample is finished I don't think I'll be purchasing a bottle of KTC. Colors are great, but pens should be fun and easy to write with. I also don't have the time or energy to start playing chemist in order to get it to function properly.

[justaninker]

KTC is not difficult to clean out of pens or off hands (have not tried clothes). Diluting inks doesn't take a chemist or a lot of time/energy, and it doesn't need to be precise. I love its elegant lavender tone in high dilutions.

 

That said, if anyone still wants to divorce their bottle of KTC, please send them my way. My bottle of KTC wouldn't mind me being polygamous ;p