Jump to content

Noodler's Kung Te-Cheng

arkan15

By arkan15
in Ink Reviews

 Share

Recommended Posts

arkan15 Near Mint

arkan15

Posted
Posted

Any feedback would be much appreciated, thanks!

 

http://imageshack.us/a/img838/820/noodlerskungtechengrevi.th.jpg

 

Notes: Overall a very dark, solid purple ink. It has a sort of indigo hue to it which makes it almost seem like a very saturated, dark blue with wetter nibs/pens. Almost looks black going down but dries relatively quickly to dark purple. This ink works very very well in my Dilli flex pen and allows maximum flex without railroading, probably because it's such a thick ink and goes down wet. Tried it in a dip pen and it left globs of ink on the page.

Smears surprisingly little considering how saturated it is, definitely much less than Noodler's Black. This ink is quite water-resistant as well, a plus for those taking formal notes but desiring a distinctive color.

Note: This ink feathers like crazy on cheap 20g copy paper and has significant bleedthrough. I imagine it is similar to performance in a Moleskin notebook.

 

(Water test done by rubbing writing sample for 5 seconds with Q-tip soaked in solvent)

 

-Jason

Jason's current collection: Lamy Safari, TWSBI Diamond 540, Pilot 78G, Noodler's Nib Creaper, Noodler's Konrad, Parker 45, Parker 75, Camlin 47, Hero 329, Sheaffer NoNonsense, FPR Dilli, Pilot Parallel, Esterbrook SJ, Wearever Deluxe, Waterman Skywriter

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • Replies 39
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • amberleadavis

    5

  • inkstainedruth

    4

  • Yoda4561

    3

  • arkan15

    2

Popular Days

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Days

amberleadavis Pen Dust

amberleadavis

Posted
Posted

Thank you for the review. This ink is one of my favorites because it just does not fade, does not smear and I'm pretty sure will out last me.

Fountain pens are my preferred COLOR DELIVERY SYSTEM (in part because crayons melt in Las Vegas).

Create a Ghostly Avatar and I'll send you a letter. Check out some Ink comparisons: The Great PPS Comparison 

Don't know where to start?  Look at the Inky Topics O'day.  Then, see inks sorted by color: Blue Purple Brown Red Green Dark Green Orange Black Pinks Yellows Blue-Blacks Grey/Gray UVInks Turquoise/Teal MURKY

 

 

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Yoda4561 Extremely Rare

Yoda4561

Posted
Posted

The lack of smearing is because it dries, unlike noodler's black which needs contact with cellulose in the paper, KTC will dry waterproof even on plastic surfaces. I can't say I've experienced any bleedthrough or feathering problems on anything but the worst quality paper though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
RudyR Vintage

RudyR

Posted
Posted

This is one of the few inks that will survive my Great Noodlers Ink Purge. Its got the great qualities of Waterproofness and light fastness that I desire. Plus a very compelling color.

What Would The Flying Spaghetti Monster Do?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
inkstainedruth Ancient Artifact

inkstainedruth

Posted
Posted

Nice review of what is probably my favorite ink. I always want it loaded in a pen, and is the ink I usually use for signing documents and writing checks -- but I also use it for stuff like the Sunday crossword. I can't say as I've noticed any feathering, even on newsprint. And it is the only ink (outside of *some* iron galls) that doesn't seem to rub off plastic-y surfaces such as Post-it flags.

It *does* have a tendency to sometimes clog my Konrad if it's not used daily; I often make it last longer when this happens by refilling with distilled water, rather than flushing the pen out immediately (unlike some folks, I don't automatically dilute it with every fill). Diluting it tends to bring out the purple tones more -- otherwise my batch is more of an indigo with a hint of blue-violet.

Have not tried it in an overly flexy pen. Thanks for letting us seek what that looks like.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

"It's very nice, but frankly, when I signed that list for a P-51, what I had in mind was a fountain pen."

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 3 weeks later...
atypical Rare

atypical

Posted
Posted

Thanks for the review.

 

I don't use it a lot since the bottle I have is a fairly bright purple.

Would have preferred something a bit more blue.

 

Dilution seems to reduce feathering and bleed-through.

 

PS: The image I see is only a small thumbnail.

It's ok when I manually enter the URL in a new window.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ravantra Vintage

ravantra

Posted
Posted

One of my top 5 inks. Love it and use it daily.

Change is not mandatory, Survival is not required.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
WOBentley Collectors Item

WOBentley

Posted
Posted

An absolute favorite of mine. My bottle is sort of a dusty purple...if I had to characterize it...but I have used it mostly in fine nibbled pens. A Noodler's must have in my book.

Nice review, thanks for posting!

This post contains 100% recycled electrons

http://i952.photobucket.com/albums/ae8/Catriker/Pen%20Pics/SmallCzarNikolai.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites
MyDarnSnakeLegs Rare

MyDarnSnakeLegs

Posted
Posted

I'm always a little tempted by this ink. I don't like purples, but I do like blues. I'm going to have to get a sample of this stuff.

My Blog: Inkdependence!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Vshin Rare

Vshin

Posted
Posted

Kung Te-Cheng is strange. I'm not sure how Nathan created it because it's so different from his other "bulletproof" inks. I've never seen any other ink retain full saturation after months of exposure to direct sunlight. If anything, it has properties more similar to paint.

Experience is a hard teacher. She gives the test first, the lesson afterwards.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Yoda4561 Extremely Rare

Yoda4561

Posted
Posted

Kung Te-Cheng is strange. I'm not sure how Nathan created it because it's so different from his other "bulletproof" inks. I've never seen any other ink retain full saturation after months of exposure to direct sunlight. If anything, it has properties more similar to paint.

 

Blue heron has a similar formulation. Legal lapis despite being a cellulose reactive, non drying bulletproof, is also quite immune to the effects of sunlight.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 2 weeks later...
arkan15 Near Mint

arkan15

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Apologies for the broken image link in the original post. Here's a re-upload to another image hosting site:

 

http://i40.tinypic.com/22lzd2.jpg

 

 

Jason's current collection: Lamy Safari, TWSBI Diamond 540, Pilot 78G, Noodler's Nib Creaper, Noodler's Konrad, Parker 45, Parker 75, Camlin 47, Hero 329, Sheaffer NoNonsense, FPR Dilli, Pilot Parallel, Esterbrook SJ, Wearever Deluxe, Waterman Skywriter

Link to comment
Share on other sites
josiah Mint

josiah

Posted
Posted

I don't use it a lot since the bottle I have is a fairly bright purple.

Would have preferred something a bit more blue.

 

I hope when I eventually get a bottle, I get one like yours! I'm not interested if it's too blue :P

Link to comment
Share on other sites
queenofpens Rare

queenofpens

Posted
Posted

Kung Te-Cheng is strange. I'm not sure how Nathan created it because it's so different from his other "bulletproof" inks. I've never seen any other ink retain full saturation after months of exposure to direct sunlight. If anything, it has properties more similar to paint.

 

I read that some researchers finally figured out what dye the ancient Chinese were using in some documents that are still around and he was trying to duplicate the ancient Chinese formula.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
atypical Rare

atypical

Posted
Posted

 

I hope when I eventually get a bottle, I get one like yours! I'm not interested if it's too blue :P

In that case, we could swap bottles I guess B)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
oshizemi Rare

oshizemi

Posted
Posted

One of my favorite inks! I'm glad to see I'm not the only one.

"Do you know the legend about cicadas? They say they are the souls of poets who cannot keep quiet because, when they were alive, they never wrote the poems they wanted to."

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Jadie Extremely Rare

Jadie

Posted
Posted

Love this ink! Hated it at first, because the sample dyed my white Kaweco Classic Sport a permanent blueish-purple. Nowadays I keep it in a Platinum Preppy and things are problem free.

 

Best thing is, I picked up the Preppy (converted into an eyedropper and still 75% loaded with ink) after a 6 month hiatus and the pen wrote perfectly without clogs or burps. ^^ Of course, it still dries if I leave the nib uncapped for too long, but it's good to know that keeping it closed keeps KTC as good as new.

Sheen junkie, flex nib enthusiast, and all-around lover of fountain pens...

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 1 month later...
OPG4711 Rare

OPG4711

Posted
Posted

I had a similar staining issue with one of Nathan's free pens that came along with the eyedropper bottle. I think I'll try loading KTC in a Lamy Safari as I have not used this ink for a while and I really do like it.

- OPG4711

Link to comment
Share on other sites
amberleadavis Pen Dust

amberleadavis

Posted
Posted

Four months in direct sunlight AFTER being exposed to water in parts. KTC did not fade.

 

http://sheismylawyer.com/INK/attachments/2012-07-06_12_small.jpg

Fountain pens are my preferred COLOR DELIVERY SYSTEM (in part because crayons melt in Las Vegas).

Create a Ghostly Avatar and I'll send you a letter. Check out some Ink comparisons: The Great PPS Comparison 

Don't know where to start?  Look at the Inky Topics O'day.  Then, see inks sorted by color: Blue Purple Brown Red Green Dark Green Orange Black Pinks Yellows Blue-Blacks Grey/Gray UVInks Turquoise/Teal MURKY

 

 

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
OrganicsStudio Rare

OrganicsStudio

Posted
Posted

This ink has a smell that really lingers in your nose. I'm not sure how I feel about it - but the ink is nice.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Most Contributions

    1. amberleadavis
      amberleadavis
      43844
    2. PAKMAN
      PAKMAN
      33563
    3. Ghost Plane
      Ghost Plane
      28220
    4. inkstainedruth
      inkstainedruth
      26746
    5. jar
      jar
      26101

  • Upcoming Events

  • Blog Comments

    • Shanghai Knife Dude
      Links to web pages or articles about Chinese typesetting, signwriting, etc.

      By Shanghai Knife Dude · Posted

      I have the Sailor Naginata and some fancy blade nibs coming after 2022 by a number of new workshop from China.  With all my respect, IMHO, they are all (bleep) in doing chinese characters.  Go use a bush, or at least a bush pen. 
    • A Smug Dill
      Skeleton of a primer for a budding hobbyist

      By A Smug Dill · Posted

      It is the reason why I'm so keen on the idea of a personal library — of pens, nibs, inks, paper products, etc. — and spent so much money, as well as time and effort, to “build” it for myself (because I can't simply remember everything, especially as I'm getting older fast) and my wife, so that we can “know”; and, instead of just disposing of what displeased us, or even just not good enough to be “given the time of day” against competition from >500 other pens and >500 other inks for our at
    • adamselene
      Skeleton of a primer for a budding hobbyist

      By adamselene · Posted

      Agreed.  And I think it’s good to be aware of this early on and think about at the point of buying rather than rationalizing a purchase..
    • A Smug Dill
      Skeleton of a primer for a budding hobbyist

      By A Smug Dill · Posted

      Alas, one cannot know “good” without some idea of “bad” against which to contrast; and, as one of my former bosses (back when I was in my twenties) used to say, “on the scale of good to bad…”, it's a spectrum, not a dichotomy. Whereas subjectively acceptable (or tolerable) and unacceptable may well be a dichotomy to someone, and finding whether the threshold or cusp between them lies takes experiencing many degrees of less-than-ideal, especially if the decision is somehow influenced by factors o
    • adamselene
      Skeleton of a primer for a budding hobbyist

      By adamselene · Posted

      I got my first real fountain pen on my 60th birthday and many hundreds of pens later I’ve often thought of what I should’ve known in the beginning. I have many pens, the majority of which have some objectionable feature. If they are too delicate, or can’t be posted, or they are too precious to face losing , still they are users, but only in very limited environments..  I have a big disliking for pens that have the cap jump into the air and fly off. I object to Pens that dry out, or leave blobs o

  • Chatbox

    You don't have permission to chat.
    Load More

  • Files






×
×
  • Create New...