Bag of all tricks

If being a BDSM top is your thing, you might have already obtained your first flogger, cane, whip or similar instrument. However, as your new hobby develops and grows, you might quickly find yourself having a sizeable collection of tools, and this begs the question…where are you going to put them?

Obviously, there’s no shortage of bags, suitcases and other storage solutions on the market. But finding one that’s really optimal for this sort of thing isn’t that easy. Ultimately, any bag will do the job, but if you just use some random gym bag or kit bag, it might make it difficult to pull out the tools when going into a scene, or make it difficult to re-organize it afterwards. The good news is that there are several solutions on the market that could be ideal for this sort of thing, and the better news is that these don’t have to cost a fortune!

My ideal storage solution for my tools is an aluminum case, because they are fairly light, affordable, and protect the content very well. There are plenty of such cases available, both online and in stores, and they come in many sizes and styles. One case I really liked was at Harbor Freight tools, and I liked it as it’s quite large and not very expensive (30$ if you use one of their 25% off coupons), and also offers a built-in combination lock, which would be helpful if you have kids running around where the bag is. Another solution I really liked is this set from Amazon. This is actually a BBQ set of tools, that come in an aluminum case and costs $30. The idea is to dump the original grilling tools (or just put them somewhere else) and use the loops that are installed in the case to store your BDSM tools. The case is 17.7” by 9.4” by 3”, which accommodates a sizeable selection of tools, and is very easy to carry. It is also fairly impressive-looking.

If you are a fan of floggers, dragon-tails, whips and other tools that are much longer than 18”, you might consider getting a Microphone-stand case. For example, this one is 32” long, which is suitable for holding most long tools without folding. It’s 5”x5” in width and height, so you will be able to fit 3-5 items in there easily. Need more space? This item offers several sizes up to 58x10x5, all for less than $30. One thing to note about this type of bag is that they are usually soft, so if you are storing mostly soft items like floggers, you should cut a piece of plywood and put it in the case to give it a ‘spine’ and make it easier to carry.

If you’d rather not spend so much, then Goodwill and other thrift stores come to mine. Most of the items you would find there aren’t in very good condition, and it’s unlikely that you’ll find exactly what you want there. However, what’s very easy to find at thrift stores are golf bags, and those are often very suitable for BDSM equipment (the challenge might be cleaning out the bag properly). You can also find plenty of aluminum cases, and even if you find one that doesn’t have any built-in loops for storing tools (or if they don’t fit well), you could easily add them by purchasing Velcro cable ties such as these, and just glue them to the case’s surface. Put some contact-glue in the middle of the Velcro tie, and once that’s hardened, you can use it to fasten anything to-place.

If all the above aren’t just quite right, and you have a good budget, I would also suggest visiting sports equipment stores, and music stores. Both sell many types of equipment that requires storage (such as Baseball bats and large musical instruments) and will thus offer a selection of storage bags and cases. The prices might be exorbitant, but you’ll probably not find anything quite as high-quality and stylish otherwise!

See you at the store!

DIY Dildo

While sex toys are not expensive, many people dream of being able to customize a Dildo to their own shape and size. This isn’t just a dream, though…I'm here to tell you that you can create a dildo from scratch right at home, and it's not very difficult!

No, you don’t have to build a silicone-casting plant for this, and a suitable material is simple…dough! Using a flour and salt mixture, you can create dough that will allow you to shape your own dildo, bake it to solidify it, and finally, coat it with varnish to make it durable.

Materials you will need:

·         5 oz High-protein flour

·         5 oz salt

·         4 oz warm water

·         Varnish

·         Wood skewers

·         Scotch tape

·         Optional: food coloring

Material Notes:

Start by mixing the food coloring with the water. Coloring is not required, but a colorful dildo looks much nicer than a white one.

High-protein flour is flour with 4-5 grams of protein per serving compared to only 2-3 in regular flour. The reason for using this, specifically, is because it makes for sturdier dough. If you use regular flour, the dough will be quite soft, and will collapse under its own weight.

The varnish will be used to create a glaze on the Dildo, so that it will be both smooth and waterproof (assuming you intend to wash it). For this reason, it's important to get varnish that’s “baby safe” so as to make sure you’re not putting poisonous chemicals into your body. Most products on the market are so, but if unsure, look for a label on the package, or ask the store attendant to help you pick one. 

Preparation:

Mix the salt and flour evenly, and add the warm water. Mix by hand or mixer, and try to achieve good consistency with no lumps.

Wrap the dough in Serene wrap, and place in the fridge for about an hour.

Warm your oven to 210 degrees (use convection bake mode, if your oven has it)

Take the dough out of the fridge, and use it to shape your dildo. You will find that the dough is not very solid, and tends to sag under its own weight. For this reason, you need to place the dildo on its base and not on its side during the baking process. When standing up, the dildo will also tend to sag to the side, so you need to insert a skewer through the dough, and attach it to a support frame from wood skewers and tape.

Put the dildo in the oven for 3.5 hours. Then, remove it from the oven and prick the base with a toothpick to confirm that it is solid and stable. If the toothpick goes in, or the dildo doesn’t feel solid, put it in for another hour and try again. Depending on your oven, you might need to try again a few times until all is good.

Once you are sure the Dildo is solid, let it cool, and then clip off the skewer(don’t try to pull it out). Now use sandpaper to sand both the tip and the entire body of the dildo it to perfect smoothness (unless, of course, you WANT it to hurt when you put it in…).

The final stage is coating the dildo with a few layers of varnish to seal it to (so it doesn’t fall apart when you use it or wash it). You can use spray varnish, but I recommend using liquid varnish, as it tends to form thicker layers, thus guaranteeing a better seal. 

Once the varnish has solidified, you can go ahead and party!

Another note on the varnish - keep in mind that it may or may not last forever, depending on your use. Certain use can cause the varnish to crack, leading to all sorts of nasty things growing in the cracks. I highly recommend inspecting the surface occasionally and looking for issues like cracks, discoloration, or changes in shape. If unsure, might be better to make a new one, or use yours with a condom. This is of particular importance if you are sharing your piece with others. 

Need for Needles

For most people, needles, syringes and shots are some of the scariest things on the planet, and many would do almost anything to avoid them (including neglecting their health or teeth to the point of serious risk to their life). For many BDSM practitioners, however, needles are delightful instruments of amusement. Are they insane?

Needles are a device designed to break the skin and pull or push liquids beneath it…and that usually hurts. For most people, avoiding pain is permanently on the “to do” list, but if you are a BDSM masochist, experiencing pain is pretty much routine. Receiving that pain from needles, then, is quite a logical leap, isn’t it? Indeed...though I have to admit that even within the BDSM community, most folks don’t like needles, and hardcore fans are fairly rare. But what is it that draws people to needles?

Well, for most people, dealing with needles is unavoidable at some point. We need to get our vaccination shots, we need to have our blood drawn for testing, and when undergoing painful medical procedures, we sure as hell want to get proper anesthesia (usually via a shot or IV). Those experiences typically start with childhood, where the needles seem larger, and where we have little control over when and where do we get poked and prodded. As a result, most of us reach adulthood with a crippling fear of needles, even though compared to other forms of pain administered as part of BDSM scenes, needles don’t really hurt a lot.

When it comes to BDSM play, the major fear of needles is often time the motivation for playing with them, as the fear triggers the endorphin release that is what BDSM is mostly about. For others, there is the pain itself, but also the coolness factor of being able to show off to others how you handled what’s perceived to be so scary, and how awesome it looks (needles are often-times placed in the skin in nicely organized rows or circles). Another thing that’s unique to needles is that once they have been placed, there’s a special sensation to caressing them with a finger. That motion moves the skin and ‘rattles’ the nerves in a way that’s not quite painful, but very interesting and unique.

Is that for everyone? Certainly not. Playing with needles requires a lot of knowledge and experience about anatomy, so as to avoid puncturing an artery by mistake (this could lead to excessive bleeding that may be hard to control). It also requires care when inserting and removing the needles so as to avoid infection. Thirdly, the needle top needs to be careful not to accidentally stab him or herself, as that would be not only unpleasant, but also risks getting infected by bacteria or virus carried by the bottom. If you have an interest in being a needle bottom, I’d advise discussing this with tops that frequent your local dungeon, and negotiating carefully with them. Make sure whoever it is has enough understanding of this unique expertise, and experience applying it. The top would also need to be an expert with after-care, as Needle play can trigger the most extreme endorphin release, which can be accompanied by just-as-extreme crash afterwards. Find the right top, and needles could be a great gateway to heaven for you too!

See you on the operating table!