Thoughts On Noodler's Kung Te-Cheng

[ToasterPastry]

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn130/ToasterPastryphoto/Noodlers_Kung_Te_Cheng_bottle.jpg

 

Since the release of a limited run on Kung Te-Cheng (KTC) in 2008, there has been much written on this Noodler’s product. I primarily collect vintage inks, but purchase modern ones as well. Noodler’s continues to produce this ink in 4.5 ounce dropper bottles, well beyond its initial run of 146 bottles. The early reviewers were entranced by its color. But was it safe for pens? Nathan Tardif, the maker of this ink, thoroughly tested it in a Platinum Preppy, and was generous enough to include a pen with every bottle of ink. He also provided a brush pen in the event I may also with to paint my nails. The bottle warns that it should be used only in the Preppy supplied. A few adventurous souls have tried others. One such individual sent me a letter written with KTC using a Visconti. I was so emotionally moved by the color—as if a color could move a person’s soul—I immediately purchased my own bottle (with pens supplied) for $29.95.

 

When I test an ink, I try to get past the initial novelty phase of the color. I thoroughly test it. I become emotionally attached to the ink. I write this review over and over in my mind. I think about the response, probably unfavorable, that I expect to receive. I write with the ink daily for a full month, testing it on all grades and styles of paper. It becomes my go-to ink, until I find another go-to ink. Then I get bored with the ink, and want to go on to my next bottle. The result of all this inking, thinking, and testing is what you see here.

 

Why I love this ink.

 

The color of this ink is warm, yet cool. It’s blue, but it’s not blue. It’s purple, but it’s not just another purple color. The color is cobalt. In the fluorescent lighting, it glows red. I swear I’m not making that up. It has a faint glow. You can fill up a whole page with writing, and the ink warms the page with that blue-red glow. It is, in no way, harsh to the eyes. People have been fascinated by Noodler’s Baystate Blue, but I find this color hard to look at, except in small doses. The color of KTC is distinct and professional.

 

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn130/ToasterPastryphoto/Noodlers_Kung_Te_Cheng_2.jpg

 

The ink has the most amazing drying time, and practically dries once it hits the page. There is relatively little bleed-through or feathering, considering that I’m writing with the most saturated writing fluid I can imagine. It handles multiple grades of paper, even thermal paper. It truly is one of the most unique inks I have ever used. I never find myself frustrated with the pen or ink, as it seems to always stay relatively well-tempered.

 

Why I hate this ink.

 

This is, perhaps, one of the driest inks I have ever used, even if you can call it ink by the standards of analine dye. Someone described it as writing with paint. It tends to write chalky. If you leave the cap off the pen for a minute or two, the ink dries at the nib, and it requires a few strokes to start. It also has the most obnoxious organic odor you can imagine. Those people who are sensitive to volatile smells should avoid this ink.

 

Of course, once I bought the bottle, I tried it in every pen BUT the vendor-supplied pen. I immediately placed it into a 1950s Columbus pen with 14 kt. gold nib. The ink crept out onto the surface of the nib and turned it a cobalt blue, but it seemed to dry there. The pen continued to write extremely well. After I was finished with the ink, I soaked the nib in water for a day. Despite this soaking, the ink wouldn’t wash off the nib. I had to rub it off. I even had to floss off the ink dried onto the underside of the nib. I decided that perhaps this ink was better suited for my cheap Parker 21. Unfortunately, the ink crept onto the nib surface and continued to pour out onto the paper. I abandoned these two pens and filled the Platinum Preppy, the vendor-supplied pen. The ink and this pen were meant for each other. However, I find myself missing my other pens. So here I am stuck with this well-engineered, but cheap, $4 pen that fills with this overpriced ink. While I can appreciate the color, I miss the performance of a well-honed gold nib skating across the paper in an effortless fashion.

 

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn130/ToasterPastryphoto/Purple_ink_comparison.jpg

 

It’s waterproof. It’s bleach proof. It’s Folex strain-treatment proof. It’s detergent proof. It’s a very dry ink. But I also own a couple of tiny souvenir drops on my clothing.

 

I am indifferent to the eye-dropper filler. It reminds me of the century-old Waterman bottles. But some may not appreciate its inconvenience. Design engineers have spent the past hundred years coming up with more practical ways of filling a fountain pen.

 

Conclusion

 

I enjoy writing with this ink. Its cobalt color is distinctive, but not showy. I can use it on multiple grades of paper, even the cheap stuff, and it seems to perform well on just about anything. It’s not a traditional analine dye ink, and that limits its use in some pens, especially vintage ones. Unfortunately, you’re probably limited to the vendor-supplied Platinum Preppy, a very cheap school pen, that you must hand fill with an eye-dropper. $30 may not seem like a lot for a bottle of ink, especially when you also receive two free pens (also a brush pen). But I would prefer an ink that works in more than one or two writing instruments.

[Korybas]

Thank you for the very informative review of KTC.

I especially liked the personal tone of your review, you succeeded in conveying your own feelings about the ink.

To tell you the truth, reading your review, I recalled the day when I was searching for a purple ink exactly like KTC but after reading about its astonishing dryness, I decided not to purchase it. There is a mixed feeling of happiness and sadness together, when I look at the fantastic color of this ink: one one hand, I am happy I didn't get this ink, as I am quite sure that it would not fit my fondness for "wetness", and on the other hand... I LOVE the hue, saturation and color of it! :bonk:

 

(... in case you missed it : :bonk: )

 

Thank you again for your review, I truly enjoyed it!

[ToasterPastry]

 

Thank you again for your review, I truly enjoyed it!

 

I could have a dozen responses and wouldn't have appreciated it as much as this one.

[Yoda4561]

A dilute ammonia solution will clean it right out of a pen, almost no effort involved.

[Ghost Plane]

Thank you for saving me from frustration. Love the color, find dry inks as irritating as nails on chalkboards

 

Best of all, I spotted 2 purples I'd rather have in your comparison swabs and am off to make the Goulets richer.

[John Cullen]

Thanks for the review. I enjoyed reading your interaction with this ink. J

[Oranges and Apples]

A dilute ammonia solution will clean it right out of a pen, almost no effort involved.

 

 

Ammonia will "pull" all of the Kung Te-Cheng out of your pens (and various other surfaces).

[dcpritch]

Thanks Toaster Pastry for the great review of an ink I have used many times, in pens as diverse as the Platinum Preppy and a Pelikan M800. Your opinion about this ink gave expression to the thoughts I've had: sort of a love - hate relationship. Still, there are times when the best color is KTC and only KTC, so into a pen it goes. I've used an ammonia solution for cleaning pens with great success.

[ToasterPastry]

Thanks for the ammonia suggestion. I discussed the interaction KTC vs. gold nib on a Columbus pen more as an illustration. Any time you soak a pen in a jar of water for a couple of days, the ink will dissolve into the water. This stain on the nib would not come off. It was on a gold nib. Yes, I removed the stain. But the behavior I found odd, unlike any typical analine dye-based ink.

[mhphoto]

Excellent review!

[Yoda4561]

Thanks for the ammonia suggestion. I discussed the interaction KTC vs. gold nib on a Columbus pen more as an illustration. Any time you soak a pen in a jar of water for a couple of days, the ink will dissolve into the water. This stain on the nib would not come off. It was on a gold nib. Yes, I removed the stain. But the behavior I found odd, unlike any typical analine dye-based ink.

 

 

KTC and Blue Heron share this trait, I'm guessing a few other noodler's inks with a reputation for smelling strong and being hard starting share it as well. They dry waterproof, instead of using cellulose bonding. There's usually a small amount of cellulose bonding bulletproof ink mixed in to make sure that writing stays legible even after an attack with bleach or other strong detergent. Heron has some bulletproof black and maybe a tiny of blue in it, KTC has a light periwinkle color.

[inkstainedruth]

I have a sample of this, but haven't tried it yet.

You say it seems to write very dry? Sounds as if it might be perfect for my gusher of a Vector. I currently have Diamine Registrars Blue Black in that, and by all accounts it's also an extremely dry ink, so when then runs out I may put KTC in it, just to see....

Thanks for the very balanced review. I like how you were weighing both the pros and cons. I was running into that sort of reaction with La Reine Mauve, which is bulletproof, eternal and extremely fast drying -- but which crept up the nib of my Konrad like it was kudzu.... Thinking I might try a drier pen to see if i can get it to behave a bit better.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[ToasterPastry]

You say it seems to write very dry? Sounds as if it might be perfect for my gusher of a Vector. I currently have Diamine Registrars Blue Black in that, and by all accounts it's also an extremely dry ink, so when then runs out I may put KTC in it, just to see....

Thanks for the very balanced review. I like how you were weighing both the pros and cons. I was running into that sort of reaction with La Reine Mauve, which is bulletproof, eternal and extremely fast drying -- but which crept up the nib of my Konrad like it was kudzu.... Thinking I might try a drier pen to see if i can get it to behave a bit better.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

I believe that if you put KTC in your Parker Vector you're going to have the same reaction that you found with La Reine Mauve. What I said was that it feels very dry when you write with this ink. In other words, the nib is not hydroplaning on a thin layer of wet ink. Except for the Platinum Preppy supplied by the Noodler's, it 'nib-creeped' (wicked out of the pen) terribly. So much so, that I ended up emptying my Parker 21, declaring it unusable. The ink was pouring out onto the page. [incidentally, old Parker 21s were notorious for their flow problems. However, I have not had this kind of trouble with other inks in that particular pen.] It stained the entire gold nib on a Columbus pen blue. But I was able to continue writing with the ink. I am certain there are several pens that are usable. I have read of a few others. The Platinum pen is not a bad pen. It's a well-engineered pen. But it's not a pen I would purchase. It's not a pen that makes me love fountain pens. But it's a pen that I'm stuck with when using this ink.

Edited May 19, 2012 by ToasterPastry

[Vshin]

The ink looks gorgeous coming out of the included brush pen. If I could load this ink in a felt tip marker, I would.

[RayOski1]

I've owned this ink for a year. Your review was spot on. My work requires a blue or black ink. Sadly it limits my use of this ink.

[FLZapped]

Now I need to go find this mystical red glow!

[Grendel]

The ink looks gorgeous coming out of the included brush pen. If I could load this ink in a felt tip marker, I would.

You can -- pull the feed out of the included Preppy and replace it with this !

[Korybas]

I am wondering if Nathan of Noodler's Ink is aware of this, and other similar, threads about KTC... :hmm1:

Perhaps he can re-formulate the ink and make it less dry, under the weight of popular demand...

Edited May 22, 2012 by Korybas

[ravantra]

My TWSBI 530 tends to write a little too wet with KTC. I have been using it with KTC since October and last night I finally had to give it a good cleaning. That is almost 8 month of continuous KTC use without issues until it finally started skipping. Probably my fault I think the cap may have been left loose for a few days.