In an interview with MetalbondNYC.com, Sir Pan of Iron Lockup discusses his intense passion for BDSM, his incarceration-themed website — and what went into the construction of his facility in Seattle.
Metal: Most readers of the Metalbond site will be familiar with you, because of your website, Iron Lockup, which has been featured quite extensively. But what many might not realize is that you are a real-life dom with nearly a decade of serious BDSM experience. Can you tell us a little bit more about yourself?
Sir Pan responds: Actually, at this point, it is now more then a decade of BDSM experience. I always knew I was kinky but started exploring it when I was 18 and entered into my first D/s relationship as a Dominant. It was a very steep learning curve, but I knew it was the right path for me. I had a few submissives as I was going through college, but my leather family, The Ethos Family, truly came together once I moved back to Seattle in 2007 or so. I now have two collared boys and two collared puppies under me as well as some extended leather family.
I read on your personal website, www.masterpan.net, that you took inspiration for your scene name from some of your subs — in a nutshell, “Pan” can be referred to in general terms as “the devil” — but are you really that sadistic [grins]?
And then some …
What’s one thing people might be surprised to know about you?
I have been a leatherworker since about 1999. I started just to make gear for myself, and of course once my kinky friends heard of my new hobby I started receiving orders. In 2011 I turned my hobby into a wholesale only business and started selling to a few local shops. This spring I decided to take the business retail. On July 15, 2014, Ethos Leather will open with about 40 percent of my product line. I hope to have most of the ever-evolving product line live by September. My gear centers on holding quality and design paramount while keeping prices affordable so that everyone can enjoy the gear.
As for something shocking about me: I have a soft spot for fluffy puppies …
OK, now for what many of us really want to know about: your dungeon. That looks like quite an impressive jail setup you have there, Sir! (It’s certainly fodder for my own wet dreams!) May I ask what went into the construction of your facility?
Thank you. My boys and I gutted an existing building to create the dungeon and Prison. I did my due diligence and built the majority of the Prison to federal standard, mostly with the exception of cell size. The bars are solid steel, welded at every joint, the walls are concrete block over sound proofing materials. The mattresses are waterproof and fire resistant. The prison toilets were purchased used at a county auction — when I took delivery of them I was asked what I was planning on using them for; my reply was: “For my prison of course!” To which I received a blank stare.
On a side note: the Prison toilets were actually a major pain, to prevent intentional flooding during riots the toilets are designed to never clog, which means that they use 9.5 gallons of water per flush — which requires a commercial 1- or 1¼-inch pipe to supply the necessary volume at the proper pressure. A friend that had prior experience with this same problem warned me in advance. Wanting to be authentic as possible I took it on as a minor challenge. I ended up installing a pressure accumulator tank and plumbing the necessary line to the toilets and they work great.
The Prison is controlled by a fail-safe system and computer. In case of fire, flood or power outage, the system will unlock everything including a fire door and turn the battery-powered flood lights on. I hold safety in the utmost importance when playing with others whose life I have been entrusted with. I was not willing to build a long-term confinement prison without making it as safe as it could be — even if the odds of fire or otherwise are very low.
Both the Prison and the wet room are water tight to the ceiling, allowing the entire rooms to be sanitized and washed down for easy and safe cleaning. The entire space is sound proofed to 135db using a combination of isolating materials. My ceiling hard points are actually track, rated at 12,800 pounds per sliding point, the track is thru bolted every 4 inches thru a 4-by-10 wood stringer running laterally above the ceiling trusses.
Specifications aside, the best part of the dungeon build-out was watching my boys work hard on it. Cutting the old concrete floor and jack hammering it out to lay plumbing drains ended with me bending the boy in question over the gutted wall framework pulling his mud soaked jeans down and … Watching my small puppy dig the pit to 5 feet deep with just a trowel and a small beach bucket was quite cute too — enhanced by the fact that the proper tools were only a few feet away.
How did you come up with the idea to build the prison in the first place? And who conceived the layout and design?
The prison was a childhood dream of mine. I spent a few years thinking about it off and on before drawing up the plans myself; I have a background that involves engineering, so there was no need to bring in another party.
Were the contractors shocked?
The only contractor was a drywall finisher, who taped and mudded the drywall that my boys and I hung in the main dungeon. He did ask what was behind the big steel door with a taped over security glass window that was locked — with no visible signs of a lock in sight — but he stopped asking when I told him it was a hobby room. He also inquired why the main room was so large, windowless and soundproofed, to which I replied: “It’s a recording studio, and I want to be a good neighbor and not disturb anyone …”
All other work, from gutting the building to painting the finished walls, my boys and I did ourselves with occasional help from good friends — which I greatly appreciate.
I read that you can accommodate up to five inmates at a time. Are you that busy, usually?
It was designed for five with the idea of being able to do large group scenes or to have scenes overlap while being able to keep inmates separate if desired. It does occasionally get used for large scenes, but I do not try to keep it full.
What is the average “sentence” for an inmate at your prison?
Usually a long, three-day weekend. One night is not enough, and a week or more is tough for most players to manage.
What is the longest length of time a prisoner has been confined there?
Nineteen days was the longest confinement in the prison without seeing the light of day. The prisoner needed some time to examine himself without any distractions, and although self-realization can be painful (it was for him) I know he is now better off for it.
If you are housing so many inmates, obviously supervising them takes a lot of effort. Do you have lots of guards to help?
My boys are trained to care for (and use) the inmates as needed. I step in when I feel like it or have a scene planned.
One thing that is unique about the Iron Lockup website is the fact that you do not use paid porn actors, but rather real-life guys who are experienced kink players. Why did you choose to go that route for your site, and are you glad you did?
Correct, we do not use any paid actors, although a few of our inmates have gone on to become porn stars. My end goal has always been more of a documentary of how the kink and leather communities actually play. To involve actors who will act rather than just be themselves contradicts my goal. I have few regrets in life, and this is no exception. I stuck to my values at the expense of more profit — seems like I am coming out ahead.
Another element that sets Iron Lockup apart from other porn sites is that you do not seem to follow scripts, but rather let scenes play out spontaneously. Is that what you intended?
I am not in this business just to make money; I do it because I love it. I enjoy pushing limits: those of the inmates, mine and society’s. To script something you love is a horrible thing indeed. So, I opted not to. I don’t take suggestions from the inmates (as a Pro or for IronLockup.com) and I don’t read from a script. I start with a general idea of where I want the entire confinement to go and a general idea for each scene, but I let reactions and the mood take it the rest of the way.
You can see this when I occasionally leave the frame while shooting to find a piece of gear that I had not initially planned on using. This is how I play, this is real. Other producers and sites will show a cleaner well produced scene – but it is just that, a produced scene. I am in this lifestyle for life; I will not ruin it for myself by allowing business to come before pleasure – and pain.
What do you look for in a prisoner? And how does one go about applying to become one of your prisoners?
Experienced players with the right attitude and no false preconceptions, end goals or fantasies are what work well for me. It helps if they have great bodies, cocks or asses, but it is not required. Their head is what I am really after. Skins, Pigs, Pain Pigs and hardcore bondage subs get my attention and my cock hard, but others can too. I will respect limits (although I will push them) — so submissives with few limits usually step to the front of the line.
Messaging me though Recon (Screen name: Punitor1) is the best method for applying to be an inmate for IronLockup.com. Tell me about yourself, your interests and what you think you are looking for (if you send a one sentence message, you will never receive a reply). My spare time is very limited at the moment, so don’t expect a quick response — it may take weeks or more.
Is there anything that you would like to add?
Yes, I would like to thank MetalbondNYC.com and its readers for giving my site IronLockup.com more exposure with some great blog posts and for taking the time to work on such a great bondage blog. Thank You.
Metal would like to thank Sir Pan for granting this interview! You can see much more of Sir Pan’s work at IronLockup.com.
Metal would also like to thank Matt of Gunz Blazing for his help in facilitating this interview, and for his ongoing support of the Metalbond website. You are awesome, Matt!