Kung-Te Cheng - Noodler's

[ErrantSmudge]

I think I need to see writing samples in real life, because based on the sample at the start of the thread, I see nothing particularly special about this ink. Especially nothing that would make me want to deal with its problematic nature.

Edited December 17, 2017 by ErrantSmudge

[thudthwacker]

A friend and co-worker has had a large bottle of Kung Te-Cheng sitting on his desk for (I'm guessing) months, and I finally noticed it and asked about it (I hadn't known that he had any interest in fountain pens). He offered a fill any time I wanted one, so I said "let's see what everyone is all excited about" and filled my Lamy Safari.

 

I've been using for, I guess, about three weeks (I really don't write much every day), and it's been pretty great. The color (which, for me, is a lot more purple than Vis' images are on my screen) doesn't especially excite me, but I've had no performance issues at all, it dries acceptably quickly (even though its been in the pen for awhile and is likely a fair bit more concentrated than when I put it in), and once it dries it seems pretty impervious. I'll often smudge pages I've written because I unconsciously rest my off-hand on them, and (with a lot of inks I have) a very small amount of perspiration or hand oil will unfix the writing a tad. That's not an issue with Kung Te-Cheng, of course, unless I start sweating hyrdofluoric acid or something.

 

My converter is close to empty, so I guess I'll soon see what kind of chore cleaning the pen is. But, as of now, I find no cause for complaint, and could absolutely see borrowing another fill from my friend in the future.

[truthpil]

As others have noted, KTC takes on different characters depending on what paper it's used with. On cheap or absorbent paper it's just a deep chalky purple which I don't care for. What makes me want to commit to this ink despite all its problems is the color it displays when on coated, totally non-absorbent papers. It actually looked the best to me when I scribbled some of it on a glossy magazine cover with a juicy stub.

 

What papers best preserve the deep indigo vibrancy and shading? Would glossy photo paper do the trick?

How about journals? Are there any journals out there that have paper so non-absorbent that the full magnitude of this ink is preserved?

[Intensity]

Has anyone checked how Birmingham Pen Co. Waterfront Dusk compares? Looking at the photos in this thread, they look basically like what I'm seeing with Waterfront Dusk. WD has pretty good water resistance too--not anything like KTC, of course, but much easier to work with. Maybe BPC Lilac Wind too.

Edited January 13, 2018 by Intensity

[inkstainedruth]

I don't think they're quite the same color. But I also had them in different pens, and Waterfront Dusk was finicky in the pen I put it in (an old Morrrison lever filler) -- and not well-behaved the way some of the other Birmingham inks I've tried have been; and right now it's somewhat diluted as well. I did have fingers crossed though....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[crahptacular]

I have all three inks (WD and KTC not currently inked though) so this is based on my swatch cards, not actual writing samples.

 

WD is somewhat close to KTC. The biggest difference is in hue, where KTC is noticeably more blue than WD. KTC is also more saturated, less grey. These are distinguishable at a glance, not just when nitpicking. Lilac Wind is greyer still than WD, and also further on the red side, so quite different from KTC. WD is the closer match, but it's still not quite there.

 

I'll post the Lilac Wind review soon, whenever I get some time to scan and edit it, so you can see for yourself--image accuracy notwithstanding. Perhaps I'll find a chance to swab the three of them next to each other, but I've not enough of WD left in the sample to re-ink it.

[ENewton]

WD is somewhat close to KTC. The biggest difference is in hue, where KTC is noticeably more blue than WD. KTC is also more saturated, less grey.

 

I have used both Waterfront Dusk and Kung Te Cheng and would agree with this characterization. Waterfront Dusk is a slightly muted, blue leaning purple--but definitely a purple--with medium saturation. My sample of Kung Te Cheng was a saturated jewel-tone blue with just a hint of purple.

 

I haven't yet tried Lilac Wind and look forward to the review!

[thudthwacker]

As an update on my own experience, I had no special difficulty cleaning KTC out of my Safari -- just did my usual bunch of warm-water flushes with a bulb syringe, removed the nib to make sure I got any ink caught under it off, and similar. I then used a couple of different inks in the same Safari (with no apparent issues from, say, some KTC being caught in the feed), and just a couple of days ago refilled with KTC again.

 

For some reason, it's a *lot* darker and wetter (and spreads more) this time around, and feels denser -- despite the fact that it's the same ink, from the same bottle, in the same pen. My suspicion is that I gave the bottle more thorough agitation this time before filling, so I'm getting more of the "real deal". I still like it a lot -- it's fantastically dense on the page, and while I'm a fan of shading, I'm enjoying the bulletproof dark-bluish-purple I'm currently seeing. And, I've really fallen for postcards, and as that's my preferred medium of correspondence right now, I need an ink which can handle exposure to the elements -- and KTC is nothing if not that.

Edited March 24, 2018 by thudthwacker

[truthpil]

I still like it a lot -- it's fantastically dense on the page, and while I'm a fan of shading, I'm enjoying the bulletproof dark-bluish-purple I'm currently seeing. And, I've really fallen for postcards, and as that's my preferred medium of correspondence right now, I need an ink which can handle exposure to the elements -- and KTC is nothing if not that.

Right on! There's really nothing like the rich and glorious glistening of KTC on a glossy postcard. Those kinds of coated papers really show off that deep indigo saturation with even some glossy reflection in the ink itself, like some kind of oil paint. Fantastic!