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Kung-Te Cheng - Noodler's


visvamitra

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I like this ink. I got the sample and used it in two pens: Pilot 78G with broad nib and Kinhao x750 with fine/medium nib. I haven't observed any problems with the flow, staining or ink disbehaviour. I wouldn't however used with my "better" *read - expensive) fountain pens. Just in case.

Anyway I find the idea of recreating old ink formulas thrilling.

INK SPLASH

http://imageshack.com/a/img661/7599/gOl8JR.jpg

DROPS OF INK ON KITCHEN TOWEL

http://imageshack.com/a/img745/1554/GFnGUr.jpg

SOFTWARE IDENTIFICATION / COLOR RANGE

http://imageshack.com/a/img537/3748/h0vbc8.jpg

COLOR RANGE

http://imageshack.com/a/img537/7519/xuqQ7b.jpg

Review written with Jinhao 599


http://imageshack.com/a/img673/5770/ySDrHc.jpg

http://imageshack.com/a/img909/2865/msJuwi.jpg

RHODIA

http://imageshack.com/a/img538/5619/I4xCRa.jpg

http://imageshack.com/a/img913/8060/Ca2VSu.jpg

http://imageshack.com/a/img904/1372/HkzccG.jpg

Edited by visvamitra
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I LOOOOVE Kung Te Chang!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :wub: :wub: :wub: :wub:

 

 

And honestly... I haven't had much issue with this ink. I do not own any REAL expensive pen ($150+)....and I love vintage german piston fillers, and those are quite inexpensive in comparison to new german piston fillers.. :P

 

 

Thanks Vis for this review... It is such a misunderstood ink.... ;)

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Great review! I am really fascinated with this ink, but haven't had the courage to buy it thanks to the high price and the possible issues. Thanks!

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I use it in all my pens. Never had a problem. I usually dilute it very slightly. The ink is pretty much indestructible, as the paper will be destroyed trying to remove this ink. Love it, my favorite ink.

Change is not mandatory, Survival is not required.

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I really like this ink a lot, but I did have to devote one pen to it.

Proud resident of the least visited state in the nation!

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This ink has survived every test I've ever thrown at it.

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Another fan of this ink.

+1 great review, as always.

I am no longer very active on FPN but feel free to message me. Or send me a postal letter!

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I have used it in all sorts of pens including MB piston fillers. The ink performs well and I have had no issues at all. When cleaning a pen, a little ammonia added to the soak helps the ink come out with no difficulty. It does not require a dedicated pen.

Edited by Medsen Fey
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I have used it in all sorts of pens including MB piston fillers. The ink performs well and I have had no issues at all. When cleaning a pen, a little ammonia added to the soak helps the ink come out with no difficulty. It does not require a dedicated pen.

 

Do you have any flow issues with any pens? That is another criticism I have read outside of the staining issues. Thanks!

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I have found that this ink needs a very clean nib, otherwise it dries up in the nib slit. I now find it worthwhile to run the corner of some hard, thin paper down the slit after cleaning the pen out, and before filling it with KTC. I sometimes also need to clean out the slots in the feed if I am having any flow issues.

fpn_1412827311__pg_d_104def64.gif




“Them as can do has to do for them as can’t.


And someone has to speak up for them as has no voices.”


Granny Aching

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I had trouble with it gumming up in the nib slit when I used it neat in a Preppy. Now I use it slightly diluted in pens with hooded nibs (Hero 100 & 1000) and it works perfectly, no complaints whatsoever.

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I heard or read that there was some research the ink was based on. If anyone by chance has a source on said research, please share.

Robert.

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Do you have any flow issues with any pens?

I have found it works in all the pens I have tried. The ink does dry quickly, and I like it best in wet nibs. If you leave a pen uncapped even for a few minutes it will dry, but wiping with a tissue takes care of the problem.

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I heard or read that there was some research the ink was based on. If anyone by chance has a source on said research, please share.

 

I believe the story is on a pamphlet that came with the bottles of KTC. I have unfortunately mislaid mine, but if someone still has a copy, perhaps they could put up a scan.

 

This post by amberleadavis might help - https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/251472-the-stories-behind-particular-noodlers-inks/?p=2761066

fpn_1412827311__pg_d_104def64.gif




“Them as can do has to do for them as can’t.


And someone has to speak up for them as has no voices.”


Granny Aching

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I love this ink, too. It's permanently clogged two Platinum Preppies for me, though. The ink crystallized inside the barrel (I guess it evaporated through the plastic somewhat). I'm trying it in a Pilot Metropolitan now. I have had to flush it twice in the past month. It's definitely a high-maintenance ink (but definitely worth the fuss for such a permanent and beautiful color! I'm willing to work with it because of the results I get on the page.) I love your review, by the way! Great scans! :thumbup:

Edited by fiberdrunk

Find my homemade ink recipes on my Flickr page here.

 

"I don't wait for inspiration; inspiration waits for me." --Akiane Kramarik

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I believe the story is on a pamphlet that came with the bottles of KTC. I have unfortunately mislaid mine, but if someone still has a copy, perhaps they could put up a scan.

 

This post by amberleadavis might help - https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/251472-the-stories-behind-particular-noodlers-inks/?p=2761066

 

WOW, great find... I had forgotten that post.

 

KTC - from the bottle:

 

The ink used by the Emperor of China during the age whereby Confucius was most recognized for his greatness intrigued the ink maker of Noodler’s Ink. The quotes: ‘The weakest ink is mightier than the strongest memory.’ and ‘The four precious necessities - pen, ink, paper, and ink stone’ were also fascinating as they are attributed to Confucius.

What ink remnants and/or colors were on the ink stones of the Emperors of China? The preference was for a blue purple - a prime based purple as opposed to the more western violet/magenta and red/blue non-prime mixtures. The information has been limited and all the more so due to the distance of time and the difficulty in getting museums and collectors to cooperate in this quest. As a manner of extending gratitude and thanks for the assistance Noodler’s Ink has received, the ink is named in honor of the 77th lineal descendent of Confucius, Mr. Kung Te-cheng.

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Thanks, but I recall Nathan or someone saying that there was actual published research in China. I'm just wondering if anyone has a source of the research, rather than a marketing label.

Robert.

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I thought he posted somewhere about having an acutal ink stone, but I can't find the information.

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

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WOW, great find... I had forgotten that post.

 

KTC - from the bottle:

 

The ink used by the Emperor of China during the age whereby Confucius was most recognized for his greatness intrigued the ink maker of Noodler’s Ink. The quotes: ‘The weakest ink is mightier than the strongest memory.’ and ‘The four precious necessities - pen, ink, paper, and ink stone’ were also fascinating as they are attributed to Confucius.

What ink remnants and/or colors were on the ink stones of the Emperors of China? The preference was for a blue purple - a prime based purple as opposed to the more western violet/magenta and red/blue non-prime mixtures. The information has been limited and all the more so due to the distance of time and the difficulty in getting museums and collectors to cooperate in this quest. As a manner of extending gratitude and thanks for the assistance Noodler’s Ink has received, the ink is named in honor of the 77th lineal descendent of Confucius, Mr. Kung Te-cheng.

 

 

Not sure where Nathan is getting his information from or what period in Chinese history he is referring to, but blue was not the major ink color used by Emperors in China -- at least not those of the last dynasty, which was scrupulous in following "tradition".

 

Emperors of the last dynasty (the Qing, 1644 - 1911) used a special red (vermillion) ink. I'm a historian of China -- though my research is primarily mid-20th-century -- so I have actually seen some archival originals and have worked with the photo-reproductions published by archives on both the mainland and Taiwan. The emperor often scrawled his comments on memorials (reports) that he received and the red made his writing stand out clearly from the black ink used by officials and personal agents.

 

Here's an example, from the archives on Taiwan, of a report from CAO Yin 曹寅 to the Kangxi emperor 康熙 in 1696. CAO's text is in black, and the emperor's reply is in red. (As this was a secret memorial, the original report would have been returned with the emperor's reply to CAO -- Kangxi's son, the Yongzheng emperor, would end this practice -- Yongzheng had all the originals archived and his replies would be copied out and sent back to the original sender.)

 

http://www.npm.gov.tw/exh100/treasures/en/img3_2.html

 

 

This custom of the emperor marking in red on memorials and reports was there already in the Song dynasty (960 - 1279 CE). Maybe even earlier periods had different customs, but I'm guessing this practice went back a very long way. In China red is, after all, the most auspicious color.

 

However, in partial "defense" of Noodlers'. A cursory google search reveals that likely emperors did use blue under special circumstances. At least one source (a journal produced by Westerners in China in the late 19th-century and early part of the 20th-century) lists "blue ink" as the color used for mourning -- clearly not suitable for regular or routine imperial use. Another source lists blue ink as being used only when the emperor was mourning a parent. "The emperor shall mourn for three years, and during the first hundred days shall cause all imperial edicts to be written with blue ink: all government papers during twenty-seven days must be stamped with blue ink." (source: Scenes in China: or, Sketches of the country, religion, and customs of the Chinese. Henrietta Shuck, American Baptist Publication Society, Philadelphia, 1851, p. 105).

 

Emperors also used black ink. For example, the Qianlong emperor (r. 1735 - 1796) left many, many of his inscriptions on paintings that he acquired. (He was a voracious and very astute art collector.) These inscriptions (there are tens of thousands of them for this one Emperor alone) are invariably in black, except for his seal, which used a paste of cinnabar (powdered), mixed with oil and silk strands. He also collected high-quality ink sticks from famous makers -- these certainly would have been traditional black brush ink for the most part.

 

So, emperors used black, red, and rarely and for limited purpose (in mourning) blue.

Edited by shudaizi

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