Editing The Pen Addict 253/transcript (section)

== Resin Dyes ==


'''Speaker 01:''' It's all loose powder. It's all loose powder. And so that's where a lot of the shimmer, a lot of the shine comes in. But there's also dyes. There's, Myke, you're messing me up.

'''Ana Reinert:''' It's just the shimmer and shine. And I imagine like a commercial comes on the TV and it's like, ooh.

'''Speaker 01:''' I'm going to get a paint coat. There are days I come in looking like I've been at a strip club covered in glitter. I am covered in it. I'm covered in glitter.

'''Myke Hurley:''' You and our jobs are not all that different. I come home covered in glitter too.

'''Speaker 01:''' And so, I mean, there's transparent dyes. There are what I call paste pigments, which are opaque. Which sometimes are used in fiberglass gel coat. It's pretty much anything that's not water-based. If it's water-based, it's not going to be compatible with the resin. So, to answer your question finally, the easiest way to describe it is once I mix the clear resin together, I will separate that into separate containers, pigment them however I need. And before the clock runs out and it turns solid, I have to pour it into my mold in whatever layers I want, swirl however I need to, and get it. And the kicker is it has to be cast under pressure. Because if I don't, there's air bubbles all throughout. So, it has to then go into a giant pressure container, which is about 10 gallons in size, and use air compressor to shrink the bubbles. How did you learn that part? I taught myself. I don't, but... No, they didn't.

'''Speaker 01:''' Whatever. Whatever.

'''Speaker 01:''' But, like, the stuff about doing it under pressure and stuff like that. Right. Did that come from anyone? The recommendation from the resin manufacturer, because it's used for a lot of prototyping stuff for, you know, movie props and stuff like that. So, it has a lot of uses. Yeah.

'''Ana Reinert:''' So, the science, like, you would find that out. But, I mean, obviously, I get the idea, like, the materials that you use and the way that you swirl them and mix them, that's your mark.

'''Speaker 01:''' Yeah, that's all self-taught. That's all no outside influence, really, on how to do that part.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' And I think that's what sets you apart and why you've become such a big thing in this community that we're in. You don't know the limitations. Right? No, there are not. Yeah. And we see things that we haven't seen before. And, like, you know, I'm not, you know, long in this industry myself, but, you know, you look through history and you see, you know, all these pens that people have made. And recently, you know, a lot of different, you know, manufacturers doing things with acrylic. And then you see Jonathan's work and you go, that's Jonathan Brooks. Yes. You can tell. Like, you know when you see a Jonathan Brooks pen. And there happens to be one on this table. More than one. Yes. Yes. But there's some stealth things that you do that you're actually, you know, I've been kind of picking your brain for a while on. And we can actually talk about them. Yes. Now. And I think we want to be able to spill a few beans on this show, if that's okay with you.

'''Speaker 01:''' That's absolutely right. Would you like the honors or? No. I would like you to do it. This is your show, man. Spill your beans. Yes. I'm going to bare my soul here. So for many years, I worked with many different pen makers, pen manufacturers. And the one I am the most proud of to date is the Conalea Pen Company. Hugh and Carol came to me years ago with their vision, their dream, and asked what I could do to help. Hugh was familiar with my work, and we talked endlessly. And he would provide some of the inspirational photos that you now see on their table and asked me to make that into something that can be tangible, that can be taken home, made into a pen. And so for what I do with them, I bring the vision to life is the best way to describe it. And it's really cool because it's something that I've never done before. And part of the agreement is I'm only going to do it for them. It's something that they approached. It was their idea, their vision that they asked me to help them create. And it's been an awesome partnership there. Hugh and Carol are awesome. We chat at least a couple times a week. You know, and the best part is this is just the tip of the iceberg with what you guys have seen. There's a lot more to come, and I'm excited for it.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Well, if it's anything like what you've done so far, we are all in for a treat. Oh, you are.

'''Speaker 01:''' Definitely. Most definitely, yes.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' So what's the latest Brooks materials and design? What's kind of, so I mean, you're essentially a mad scientist, right? Yeah. You're not a pen maker. You're a mad scientist. Oh, yeah. I love to experiment. So you get in there, like you'll send me pictures or you'll tell me I'm doing this. I'm like, my head explodes a little bit. So what's the latest on the mad scientist rack at the Brooks farm?