These are simple, practical floggers. You won't find intricate handles made out of multicolored braided lace with turks head knots. However, you could decorate some of them later with fancy leather braiding. Most of these whips can be made in under an hour, although some have longer drying times. Some of them can be made while the intended victim is tied up. Many of them have my trademark eyebolt shaped handle. They materials used for the various projects include nylon twine, tyvek, spandex, silicone rubber, xylene (solvent), rope, leather lace, chamois, suede, heat shrink, tool dip, upholstery tacks, bicycle handles, and dowel rod. Most of the materials were obtained from local vanilla stores. No exotic tools are needed. Some of the whips could be easily made in a hotel room from readily obtainable items if you forgot to bring your toys with you.
In order to make a number of these, you will need to know the techinique normally used for whipping the end of a rope.
All of my recent flogger designs are designed to be autoclaveable although some of the older ones are not.
Silicone doesn't stick to plastic wrap (although in some cases the xylene may eat through the wrap). Wear disposable gloves. After dipping, have a paper plate, paper towel, plastic wrap, etc. to catch drips and a way to hang the dipped object. Electrical tape, wrapped inside out around the tails of a flogger will protect them from tool dip.
For the handle core, I used a stainless steel marine eyebolt (8" long). Clean and degrease the eyebolt or the silicone won't stick well. The tails were glued to the handle using silicone rubber. The handle was dipped in silicone tool dip (recipe above). The eyebolt gives rigidity, balance, and a hanging loop. You might want to braid the tails around the eyebolt and temporarily tape the tails together past the end of the handle while you dip.
This requires a 260 foot spool of #18 nylon twine and some tool dip. Both are availible at Walmart. The twine is availible in white (rope and chain section), black (fishing/boating section). The plasti-dip is in the tool section but you will find a larger selection of colors at the Lowes. An assorment of neon twine colors are availible in a package in the rope section at Lowes, if you want to make a psychadelic flogger. The cost of this flogger is about $3 in quantity but you will need to spend about $12 if you only want one. If you plan to make more than one, purchase more than one container of tool dip; although one can has enough to coat many whips, the can is barely deep enough so you will want to replenish it from a second can as the level drops.
Clamp 2 sticks or rods 18" apart to help make a winding form or have your partner hold two pencils the right distance apart (a tied loop will help maintain a constant distance). Wrap the twine around the form 50 times (100 strands total). Starting 1-1/4" from one end, whip a five inch long section very tightly to form a handle. Now whip around the little loop you left at the end, again very tightly to form a hard loop. Cut the other end of the 50 loops to make the tails and trim them to the same length, if desired. You now have 100 tails which will unravel to make 300 tails during the first use; each strand will retain a little wavyness from when it was twisted. Those 300 strands will eventually unravel further to make many thousands of strands.
Now secure the tails with a temporary whipping or noose so you can hang the whip upside down for dipping with a length of string for hangin. Place a can of tool dip on a paper plate or some scrap newspaper in a well ventilated area with some point overhead you can tie a string to for hanging. Have Mix the tool dip thouroughly to mix the pigment. Dip the handle once (swish the whip around a little so it coats all the way to the end of the handle. Now slowly withdraw and hang. Use a toothpick, baggie tie, pipe cleaner, skewer, or other disposable thin object to remove excess tool dip from inside the loop so an opening remains. Cover the tool dip and allow the whip to dry for 30 minutes. Repeat the dipping, then allow to dry overnight.
For the lanyard, tie a foot or so of string or lace into a loop. Now, slip this loop through the loop in the handle and then back through itself. I used plastic craft lace. This way, the lanyard can easily be removed when the whip is used for insertion play.
Using the tool dip is optional but it makes for a nicer handle.
This has 24 tails, each 9" long. The chamois was about 4oz weight. This is a sensual flogger. Even a strong hit is a little thud and a negligable sting. Good for carressing. It was made from a 9 inch by 26 inch rectangle cut from a Chamois rag purchased in the automotive section of walmart. The piece was folded in half to make a piece that was 9x13. Follow the directions for the suede flogger above.
Hey, splurge a little. Buy two or three packages of shoe laces or a spool of lattigo lace or seuede lace.
The plastic "gel" bicycle handles work nicely. They cost about $6 for a pair at walmart. These work nicer than the old fashioned knuckle grip handles or the flanged handles. Braided nylon rope would be nicer than the clothesline.
To make the handle a little firmer and improve the balance of the flogger, you could shove a piece of stainless steel rod or dowel rod which has had one end drilled and tapped; thread an eyebolt into the rod through the hole in the end of the handle.
This folding Spanking Bench costs about $75 in materials to make. It has built in leg and wrist rests with integral velcro restraints and eyebolts for attachement of other restraints. It can be partialy dissasembled for transport or just fold the legs down as far as they wrist/ankle rests will permit and wrap the velcro straps around the legs so they can't unfold; this gives a fairly compact triangular package which can easily be transported.
This design is still evolving as I try to optimize flexibility, comfort, and safety. The parts list and directions are incomplete and a bit inconsistent because they were written at various stages in the design and construction.
I haven't done the upholstery yet.
Alterations: If you would prefer platforms for the arm and ankle wrests, you can easily attach two 4 foot sections of 4x4 or 2x6 each side instead of the bow stops (keep the eyebolts and velcro straps). Drill two holes in the 4x4's or 2x6's. If you use 2x6's, buy 8" eyebolts instead of 6" ones. Upholster the supports using more of the vinyl, batting, and upholstery tacks. You might also use some heavy duty angles (such as those sold for use with superstrut) to support the 2x6's. You may wish to put a piece of 1" wooden dowel into the 2x6 as a hand grip.
Here are some notes I wrote to someone about various design aspects while the prototype was still under construction.
I have done that, naturally, though not for long periods of time yet.
There are an assortment of different body shapes and sizes to consider
as well. I am bringing it to Mikes on thursday; I might ask various
people to try it out, at least briefly, and give me feedback on
pressure points.
Click on this link to see a picture of the various marine trailer rubber
gizmos I refer to below:
http://thestore.alloutdoors.com/productfamily.asp?dept=3&category=30400&subcat=3
0410&pf=857
These gizmos have a lot of potential BDSM applications.
I am trying to balance comfort and safety, cost, ease of initial assembly,
ease of portability, ease of storage, strength, and not losing parts (if
it needs to be dissassmbled for transport). I like quick setup and
teardown; otherwise, teardown may cut into play time and/or aftercare.
Setup and teardown time is currently about 30 seconds. Safety is
the most important concern.
As it stands now, you could easily fit a half dozen of these horses
in the trunk of a car and they can be discretely carried stuffed in
a duffle bag in full view of the neighbors. I can hang one in
the folded position from an eyebolt in my ceiling and still
have room to walk under it (and I have very low ceilings).
I have tried or considered the following arm/leg rest designs:
- The initial design was a rubber bow roller from a boat with
an eyebolt trough the center into a leg
|\ /|
| \---/ |/-\ Spool 3" diameter, 3" wide
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| /---\ |\-/
|/ \|
There are 3/4" wide velcro straps with eyelets which the eyebolt
passes through on the way to. This is a little narrow (I would
rather have 2" velcro but it isn't availible) but most of the
time pressure is not against this strap. If desired, the velcro
strap will fit through the D ring on most wrist restraints. This
will hold the wrists more securely.
The rubber was a little too hard, however, particularly for the
upper calf.
- Same as above but I added a rigid foam tube (a funnoodle connector
from the toy department) press fit around the spool. This makes it much
more comfortable and this is the current wrist design.
- Same as above but I used a keel roller which is 5" wide and 3"
diameter. This fits the upper calf anatomy better but doesn't
allow the wrist to be restrained as well.
- The keel roller without foam makes for a good hand grip although
perhaps a little large.
- A rubber bow stop (Y shapped) with an eybolt and spacer
\\\ ///
\\\ ///
--- ||||| /-\
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--- ||||| \-/
The large size bowstop works better than the small one for
the upper calf. The small one works well for ankles. I only have
one of the large ones, currently due to retailer stock. Built
in velcro restraints (the eyebelt passes through gromets in
one end of each velcro strap on each side of the bow stop.
- Same as above but a foam tube has been slit across the top (imagine
the letter "C" turned on its side) and placed over the bow stop.
The leg goes inside the "C"
/ \
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\\ \ / //
\\ - //
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- even better, attach three bow stops side by side to make a longer
restraint, free to rock to match the angle of the leg.
- A four foot long 2x4 on each side for wrist/leg. This
doesn't adjust well for separate wrist/leg heights.
This requires disassembly before transport.
- restraint's similar to those on Frazier's horses. Flat and
padded for the legs and rounded for the hands to grab.
This requires disassembly before transport. I have never
been satisfied when it came time to restain someone to these
using cuffs. With a lot of webbing you could do ok. Integral
restraints do better.
- padded piece of 2x4 or 2x6 about a foot long. Either fixed
horizontal or pivoting on an eyebolt. Pivoting works better
for portability without needing to disassemble and also
insures the weight is distributed evenly over the calf.
- Webbing sling for legs.
Current configuration:
- wrist wrests are the 3" bow roller with foam padding.
These are adjusted pretty high since the sawhorse is a bit
longer than I would like.
- The left leg rest is a bow stop with a slit tube of foam on top
- The right leg rest is a keel roller with a tube of foam press
fit around it.
With padded rollers, the concern is that the small radius of the rollers
may concentrate pressure over too small an area. However, flat
supports have problems with sharp corners. So, at one angle they
are comfortable but if you angle your leg for any reason, they suddenly
become very dangerous. The roller is the same what ever angle you rest
at. The calf is also distinctly incompatible with a flat surface.
The tube of rigid foam over a roller which is wide at the ends and
narrow in the middle actually allows the force to spread over
a fairly wide area. The Y shape of the bow stop matches the anatomy
of the calf bones better than a flat surface.
There are two basic positions I can see for the person on the horse:
- Crotch straddles the horse and ankles on the supports. This
does not allow access to inner thighs or genitals.
- Crotch hangs over the end of the horse knee/upper calf on the
supports. Allows access to thighs/genitals but puts pressure
on the stomach if you have a narrow top.
I have been planning all along to make the top two widths: about 12"
for the tummy and about 4" for the chest (so breasts can hang over
the side). I have been thinking of different ways to do this
(ideally reconfigurable to allow either of the two possitions
above). I was originally thinking a separate upholstered tummy
board and chest board (it is a bit difficult to upholster a board
that changes width) or perhaps two thin ones and one wide one
which could be reassembled with the tummy support on the
end or in the middle. My current thinking, however, is to
try keeping the whole top 4" wide and add two 4"x 10" outriggers on
each side that are infinitely, and quickly, adjustable
along the entire width of the horse.
The wrist and ankle supports are height adjustable in 4" increments
using existing holes. Adjustment requires removing the eyebolt
and putting it in another hole. No tools are needed although a
stick makes it easier to tighten the eyebolt. I may add some more
holes to allow finer adjustment. I might even add a strut to
each leg so the height is continuously adjustable; if the strut
is allowed to pivot, it could become possible to adjust the position
forward and backward from the leg. The strut adds weight, cost, and can
have narrow edges and cold metal, however, and padding it can interfere
with adjustment unless the padding is creative.
I would like to keep the cost under $100 although the prototype costs
more since I have been experimenting. But, I will eventually reuse
the cast off parts.
For the outriggers, I cut two 10" lengths of 2x4. I made two outriggers with different upholstery. I cut a 28" length of super strut and bolted it (centered) to the bottom of the sawhorse top with 1/4" carriage bolts; drill 9/32" holes and hammer the square portion below the head of the carriage bolt through the hole. Use a fender washer (inside diameter clears 1/4" bolt and the outside diameter is oversized - about an inch) and nuts. I used 1" carriage bolts; it is best to cut them shorter with a hacksaw (don't forget to thread a nut on before cutting - removing the nut will repair the threads damaged by cutting) so they don't interfere with the cone nut and bolt securing the outriggers sliding back and forth. A 16" or so piece of superstrut is used as a crosspiece to support the outriggers. It is supported by a 3/8" bolt and washer into a 3/8" cone nut (special superstrut accessory). An improvement would be to use a longer bolt and the special flat plate washers (about 2" square) sold as accesories for superstruts. This would allow the nut to be loosened and tightened with a cresent wrench instead of a socket. If you can find a large, strong knob with a 3/8" bolt, that could be used instead.
Each 2x4 had a 1/2" diameter hole drilled in the center. A threaded insert (3/8 internal thread, oversized 1/2" external thread) was threaded into each hole. A short 3/8" bolt and washer is then used to attach the 2x4's to the cross strut.
One of the outriggers was upholstered with two funnoodle connectors, found in the pool toy section of Walmart. These are 6" long, 2-1/2" ID, 3-3/4" OD pieces of stiff foam. Treat the two 6" pieces as one 12" piece. Cut a 1-1/2" wide section from the foam lengthwise and place it centered on top of the 2x4. Then place the remaining "C" shapped piece over the 2x4. Sucurely duct tape it to the 2x4. The ends will extend over the ends of the 2x4. Force these ends to wrap around the end of the 2x4 with multiple strips of duct tape. Cover foam completely with duct tape, wrapping around the 2x4 as well.
The second outrigger was upholstered with naugahyde (leather textured vinyl on a cloth backing) and 18 layers of polyester batting fiberfill (from a fabric store). Round or cut all 4 top edges of the 2x4 at a 45 degree angle; if you do not do this, the edge of the 2x4 will create an uncomfortable and dangerous pressure point. Wrap the batting over the top, sides, and ends of the 2x4. Cover with the naugahyde and fasten in place with a staple gun.
In the long run, I think I will use a combination upholstery. I will bevel the edges of the 2x4, cover with the funnoodle, fasten with duct tape, cover with batting, and then cover with vinyl. I will probably re-upholster the top of the saw horse the same way using 7 funnoodle connectors, batting, and vinyl. The combination of soft and firm padding will be more comfortable and safer than either by itself. The edges of the saw horse top cannot be beveled but the funnoodle foam will adequately pad those.
By temporarily installing a couple long 1/4" bolts (possibly covered with tubing to make a smooth surface), the spreader bar would make a handy form for winding coils of twine during whip making.
You can make a temporary suspension cuff from 1" webbing. Tie 3 loops through each of the adjacent eyebolts. Now, weave the two sets of loops together by passing them together. Pass the hand to be suspend through all 6 loops and grab the bar. Now, tighten the loops (in the same order they pass through the eyebolts. This knot forms a cone shapped chinese finger trap and grabs the hand, not the wrist. It does constrict a little (although not nearly as much as it would if each loop did not pass through the eyebolt). As long as the hand is wrapped around the bar and bearing most of the weight, circulation is unaffected. If the hand releases, the cone will tighten and grab it. It is possible to work out of the knot, particularly if it is loose or not under load; I would not suspend someone very high for this reason. To improve circulation, simply lower sub until feet are bearing weight and thrust the hand upwards through the knot and grab the bar. Restriction of circulation is probably not any worse than any other cone shaped suspension cuff.
In my experience, Subs love these. I use them during breaks during a flogging scene. They are much cheaper than vampire gloves and safer (you can autoclave and reuse them them a few times and then toss them). Rubber finger grips (from an office supply store) with a 14 or 16 pin DIP integrated circuit pressed through the rubber from the inside (I push against a mattress). These can be autoclaved but tend to corrode after a few trips. They are really cheap, costing about $0.35 each, so you can toss them. Covering one or two fingers on each hand is sufficient. Pat the skin with them. Drum the fingers (covered and uncovered) over the subs skin; the sub will probably think you have spikes on all the fingers. Scratch the skin. You can even slap without penetrating the skin much. Slap so most of the force is on the palm; the sub will probably think the spikes are hitting full force.
I think I have been using series A form factor steel with GoldGalv plating. They are apparently also availible in aluminum and stainless steel. Cost is about $1.50 per foot.
Superstrut is normally used to suspend electrical conduit (or plumbing) in commercial buildings. It is also popular for building heavy duty shelving and other construction projects.
There is a somewhat compatible system known as Kindorf (also owned by T&B). It is sold locally by Elite Electrical Supply which has 10 foot lengths in stock. It has a less flexible hole pattern on the back (simple holes on 1.5" centers). Instead of cone nuts, they have spring nuts. The sell 10 foot lengths only (about $16 each or 100 ft for $120ish). Elite can special order superstrut but does not stock it. They had thousands of feet of kindorf in stock. Gussets and corner connectors are availible for kindorf (1.5" hole spacing) for very secure joints at right angles (to make, for example, a sling frame).
If you want to drill a plate to mate with either superstrut or kindorf channels, drilling 4 or more holes on 1" centers will work but the struts may not be in the same alignment Every other hole will mate with superstrut and every third with kierdorf. If you are attaching to the front (open side of channel), you can position cone nuts or slide nuts anywhere.
Hole patterns on superstrut/kindorf:
Kindorf: --+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+----...
Superstrut: --+++-----+++-----+++-----+++-----+++-----+++-----+++--...
Both: --+-----------------+-----+-----------------+-----+----...
1" --+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+...
1.5" --+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+----...
2" --+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
6" --+-----------------------+-----------------------+----...
Each character represents 1/4". For the universal pattern,
The first hole is centered 3/4" from the end. Center to center
Spacing between holes then alternates between 4.5" and 1.5"
(you can also just drill holes on 1.5" centers).
Superstrut can be cut with an electric chop saw or a hacksaw (which is a lot of work). If you buy it at Lowes, they may be able to cut it to length in the plumbing department. 1/4", 3/8", and 1/2" bolts are normally used with these struts. Be warned, however, that a socket which mates with the 3/4" head of a 1/2" bolt will not fit through the 7/8" opening in the channel.
I am working on some designs for some equipment from
superstrut/kendorf. This is more expensive than wood but has
some advantages:
- 4 struts can be packed in the space of a 2x4. (2 struts
nest together in the space occupied by a 2x4).
- Strong
- Joints are strong and compact. So, if a member is too long
to fit in the desired class of vehicle, chop it in half
and add a joint (about $5).
- You can make members whose length is adjustable by bolting
two struts together.
- You can position eyebolts or other fasteners anywhere along
the length of the member.
- Members can bolt together easily for shipment.
- It doesn't look like dungeon equipment while being stored
or transported.
- It doesn't care if it gets rained on.
The struts are
The cross section of the struts looks like this (1-5/8" x 1-5/8").
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* *
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* *
* *
* *
* *
* * * *
*** ***
They come in 4', 6', and 10' lengths at a cost of $1.60 per
foot (it is also about 1.6 lbs per foot. The top side is riddled full of
holes on 2" centers (superstrut) or 1.5" centers (kendorf); other
than the difference in hole spacing, the two brands are interchangeable
(since T&B now owns both brands, they may even be rolled on the same
machines). They are made from cold rolled steel about 1/8" thick.
- Ceiling Grid
- A-frame
- Suspension frame
- cage
Furthermore, parts are adaptable. For, say, $300, you could have
a kit of parts which could be assembled to make:
- 1 suspension frame and 1 a-frame
- 2 A frames
And, all of the structural members fit in a space approximately 6" wide x
8" high by 6' long (not counting padding), weight under 250 lbs, and
not be identifiable as dungeon equipment. Gee, an entire dungeon
that fits under your couch :-).
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