Bondage Tricks

This is an article I wrote for the Leather Man NYC a few years ago. 
 
This article contains descriptions of bondage play.  When exploring bondage, one should always start with full measures of negotiation, the setting safe words, intention, and discussion of each play partners medical and psychological health and emotional concerns.
 
We love it…
The click of the padlock, the staccato locking of heavy German cuffs.  The cinching of straps across, between, and over.  A leather hood is laced over the face, pulling skin across skin, erasing the day away.  There is the zipping on of more leather, upon leather, and the bolting of chains or metal stocks to ensure that you are in bloody good bondage. Real bondage. Serious bondage. 
 
Your mouth is filled. Your ears are stuffed.  Your fingers…you don’t seem to really have those anymore—not that they’re numb, circulation is fine—but they’ve been melded together with wrapping and then layered with fist mitts so that they resemble more flipper than human hand.  Your legs are incapacitated—no running, no kicking.  Sans mobility and opposable thumbs, you drift backwards from the thinking, doing world of the human race and transform into a primal thing of need, desire, frustration, fear, calm, contented happiness.  A black leather Id, you.
 
All the while, your Top is surveying the movement of your chest rising and falling.  Every so often, putting their hand in front of your breath holes to feel the warm air seeping out.   They are poised, ears pricked forward like a cats listening for the slightest warning that might come from the depths of that leather, metal, latex thing they’ve just chained to the top of their bed, cage, sling.  It’s 50 percent fun, sadistic, dominating and 50 percent stressful, nurturing, service toppish.
 
As exhilarating as bondage is, it can be equally fearsome for both Top and bottom, especially when immobilization bondage and layers of sensory deprivation start to surmount the capabilities of communication and/or escape ability.   I began exploring bondage first through rope, but became more and more intrigued with gear: leather, latex, metal.  I fell in love with all of it.  Through the years of accumulating a handsome amount of equipment, I’ve also come up with a list of inexpensive widgets that aid in the application of secure, satisfying bondage, while keeping it safe (as possible). 
 

1. Padlocks: I’ve a fetish for Padlocks—new, unusual, and antique.  But if you’re just starting your collection, first buy a set of 10-20 padlocks that are all keyed alike.  You can tell that the padlocks will all have the same key by the serial number on the box. I keep each set of keyed alike padlocks all locked on a rope with one copy of the key tied to the rope and a few sets of the same key on rings locked into the padlocks so that they can be removed from the full set and easily carried as separate keys.  With this many locks, all-pertaining to the same key, you shouldn’t have a problem losing keys or running out of locks when you need them.  The rope of heavy, metal locks is a pretty imposing threat of weaponry, besides.

 

1. Double ended clips:  The idea of locking every chain and every D-ring down with a padlock is a sexy fantasy, but not practical in terms of safety.  When a bottom is in need of quick release from the layers of compression and strain of bondage, it can be unnerving for the Top to fit and turn the key in every padlock as the bottom may be struggling and/or experiencing an emergency.  Remember, too, that padlocks don’t always lay flat so that reaching the keyhole can become tricky.  I tend to use double ended clips after the first major points are locked down in padlocks.  Once the bottom is blindfolded, the click of a double-ended clip can sound like a lock, keeping the fantasy of being double-double padlocked going.

 

1.  Turnbuckles:  If you love playing with chains but get frustrated at how they tend to slack, the turnbuckle is really neat widget that you can pick up at any hardware store that tightens them to the perfect rigidity.

 
 

1. Ace bandages:  When I teach bondage, I feel like I am an infomercial for Ace bandages—preferably the self-adhesive kind.  They are incredibly useful in a variety of ways.  First of all, they make great fist mitts.  Simply wrap the bottom’s fists, thumb tucked in, from below the wrist bone and over the fist so that the bandage transforms the fist into a smooth globe.  Then either secure the end by tucking it into a fold or use duct tape for a second secure layer.  A leather or metal mitt can also fit over it for extra bondage oomph.  This process takes away those Houdini fingers and transforms the hands into enlarged paws that are more difficult to slip from cuffs, stocks, or rope.  Ace bandages can also be used for very efficient blindfold/sensory deprivation.  Wrapping around the eyes, ears, and head, the bandage takes away eyesight and some hearing.  The latter can be enhanced with earplugs—I prefer the molded waxen kind for swimming—or ear buds attached to audio input.  (Play heavy metal for your opera enthusiast or vice versa for auditory torture).  I also use Ace bandages to bind wrists and ankles or to layer under rigid equipment to prevent tendon damage for anyone who has joint problems (but still want those heavy, metal cuffs).  Ace Bandages also come in handy as a makeshift head support if one is working with suspension positions and I’ve seen them used as a brilliant tucking thong for gender crossing.  Ace Bandages should be called Ace Bondages\

 

1. Zip ties: They make a great, discrete wrist or thumb cuffs for public play.  Make sure your bottom is wearing long sleeves and zip tie their wrists to the belt loops on their pants.  Just be sure not zip too tight and that you have your cutting tool with you—the ridged plastic can be quite brutal on the circulation and skin.  They also can stand in the place of padlocks and can be cut for quick release.  Instead of taking the slow route of cross lacing the entire length of the body bag, (though I happen to enjoy that laborious process), zip ties can be used through the D rings—fast and simple and easy to cut out.  It can also be a bit of a mind-fck to the bondage gear head to have a really spectacular piece of bondage equipment placed on them—some custom leather piece with metal rings sprinkled about-- and then have it be secured in place with a plastic zip tie.  A little humiliation-cherry on top of the bondage sundae. Grin.

 
 
Those are a handful of easy, inexpensive tips & tricks for bondage fun.  I hope that they help to make your exploration more accessible, fun, and safe.
 
Best wishes,
Ms Yin Q.
 
 
Bio: Ms Yin Q is a writer and BDSM educator.  She conducts private classes for individuals and couples.  She is also a ritual work guide.