A Focus on Color: Red Tide Pigment Paste
We are into the dog days of summer, and it is hot hot hot outside! There is no air conditioning in the shop, so we are feeling the full force of the Texas heat! While sweating it out in the shop on the lathe, my mind (and my face) have been "turning" to warmer colors: yellow, oranges, and reds. I recently gave a new red color a try in my resin pens, and boy have I been pleased! The color in question is titled "Red Tide" and it is a pigment past used in epoxy resins.
The paste is a little different than the powders I typically use. For one, it is not metallic and not glittery or shiny. This allows for more of a "matte" look on a pen, if that is preferred. However, if you want to jazz it up with a little touch of sparkle, a bit of powder can be added into the paste/resin mixture to give it a little sparkle. I experimented with a batch of red using a dark grey powder, and it turned a little muddy. The paste is a bit picky as to which powders it plays nice with!
So far I've had the best, most consistent success blending "like" colors into the paste, e.g. red powders into the red paste. This makes for a more subtle shimmer than some of the very glittery powders (although I do love the sparkly, glittery look). I'm excited to see what other combinations look like!
Pictured: A red resin ballpoint pen using pigment paste and red metallic powder. The metallic effect looks silver, but is accomplished using red powder.
One of the downsides of the paste is it makes a mess. This stuff likes to get everywhere: my hands; the bench; the jar lid; the dog; and the floor. When it gets very hot outside (like it is now), the consistency of the paste can change and it attempts to escape the containment of the jar. The paste is very concentrated in color, so if it gets on your hands, arm, face, leg or somewhere else, you are going to be wearing that color for a bit (hope you didn't have fancy dinner plans!).
It's fun turning pens that have been made with the pigment paste; the little flecks that come off the lathe are extremely brightly colored. It's almost like throwing confetti and having a little lathe party, all to yourself!
I have a few more pastes that I have been playing with, but so far the red and yellow are my favorite. Despite the mess they make, I am very pleased with the results I have been getting. The colors are very vibrant, striking, and bold, and they make for eye-catching pens!