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Kung Te Cheng Issues


NobodysPerfect

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So, I bought a bottle of Noodler's Kung Te-Cheng about a year ago because I just loved the color. I had heard it had some behavior issues, like drying or hard starts, but I figured, with proper pen maintenance, I could live with that.

However, the issue that keeps coming up is not something I've read about before. Basically, whenever I have Kung Te Cheng in a pen, the entire contents of the converter end up emptying into the pen cap. This has happened in a Pilot Metro (F), Lamy Safari (M), Noodler's Charlie, and now Conklin Duragraph (1.1 stub). I'm very careful with my pens, and if I do need to transport them somewhere, I put them in a F-C pen case, with the pens lying on their sides, not nib down. This is the only ink that has ever caused this issue in any pen. Also, just to be clear, it's not the same as nib creep, since it's literally the entire contents of the converter that leak out and fill up the cap.

 

Has anyone else has this issue with their Kung Te-Cheng? I've read that diluting the ink helps with some other behavior issues, so would it also help with this leaking issue? How much should I dilute it?

 

(Also, just to be clear, I'm not picking on Noodler's. I use and love many of their other inks, but just have issues with this particular one)

 

Thank you.

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I generally store or carry all my pens nib up, rather than on their sides (it's a habit I got into after getting my first "good" pen, a Parker Urban, and it said that in the instruction manual). I have some of the same pens as you. It could be that you're experiencing air pressure changes (I lived for four years in Framingham). In particular, eyedropper pens (like the Charlie) are susceptible unless they're kept topped off). I'll admit that I only ever put KTC in a Noodler's resin Konrad, except for one time (I tried it in the ebonite Konrad, but I had flow issues). And yes, I did have some problems with ink burping into the cap when the pressure changed (it does a lot here in Pittsburgh -- the local joke is "Don't like the weather? Wait an hour....").

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."

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I've been using KTC for a couple years now and never had that problem. It is a different ink, no doubt about that. For me it really does well on Paper Vellum compared to other inks - even other Noodler's inks.

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I live in New England, which does also have unpredictable weather, but this is the only ink that I have this problem with, and I have about 25 other bottles from a wide variety of makers, as well as tons of samples (RIP Ink Drop!). When I carry my pens on the side, I do have occasional drops in the caps, especially from the wetter writing pens, but emptying a full converter into the cap is significantly worse than this small amount of burping.

 

Would diluting the ink help at all? I'm nervous to use the ink again, since I stained my shirt and desk pretty badly last time this happened.

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I live in New England, which does also have unpredictable weather, but this is the only ink that I have this problem with, and I have about 25 other bottles from a wide variety of makers, as well as tons of samples (RIP Ink Drop!). When I carry my pens on the side, I do have occasional drops in the caps, especially from the wetter writing pens, but emptying a full converter into the cap is significantly worse than this small amount of burping.

 

Would diluting the ink help at all? I'm nervous to use the ink again, since I stained my shirt and desk pretty badly last time this happened.

 

if you do dilute, use distilled water.
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I just filled a Charlie pen with KTC. I'll be interested to see if this happens to me, as well.

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I've actually had similar problems and found that diluting KTC made a world of improvements. And it's so saturated that it can handle the dilution without any sacrifice to colour.

- OPG4711

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this is new to me as well, though i also store my pens nib up. i've had KTC loaded in a Pilot 78G, a Konrad, a Hero 616, and i've probably forgotten one or two other pens. it's exhibited a number of issues --- hard-drying nib creep, mainly --- but never such leaking as you describe. most odd.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I have used KTC since it was first offered, mainly in the Preppies sent with the bottles. No problems whatever. Recently I have been using it in a Pilot Vanishing Point (F) with no problem.

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