Making a flogger

Floggers are probably the most used tools in BDSM, as well as a well-recognized symbol of our lifestyle. Being relatively easy to make, floggers are also some of the most diverse tools out there. While anyone can go online and grab one off eBay or Amazon for as low as $1.2 (that's a pretty low end one, obviously), having a heavy and high quality one is not only important, but also a primary source of pride for any BDSM top. These kinds of floggers can cost $100 or even more, but you can make one yourself for a fraction of the cost…and have something to show-off too.

Floggers are pretty simple, if you think about it. They are made from some stick, typically 8-9" long, and some fabric cut into strips 3/8-1/2" wide (tassels) and about 20" long. The only tricky part to a good flogger is making sure the tassels are properly attached to the handle, so that the thing doesn't break apart.

To make a flogger, start by locating the material. You can make a flogger from virtually any soft material, from strands of rope, through a cut-up pair of pants, and up to strips of thick and heavy leather. Different materials lead to different sensations, and affect the thuddy or stingy properties of the flogger, so it's important to choose well. Many people think a flogger HAS to be made of leather, but there's no law or rule that dictates that. No doubt that leather floggers look "professional", and using one made from a pair of jeans may feel amateurish and embarrassing, but in reality, leather floggers have a big disadvantage. Leather, even though it's nice and expensive, can be quite challenging to clean up, since leather can't be laundried, and it responds badly to water. The problem is that water washes away the oils that keep leather soft and flexible, so the cleaning process may make the leather much less resilient. In addition, the water may ruin the leather's smooth texture, and deform the tassels.

I'll discuss the topic of finding and buying leather in a later article, but for now, just keep in mind that there's nothing wrong with using fabric, pleather, rope or any other soft material to make your flogger, and it might lead to a flogger that's easier to use and maintain.

For a handle, the ideal material is wood, because it's the easiest to attach the tassels to. A 1 ½" or 1 ¼" thick wood stick would work great, and a $4 stick from Home Depot can be used to make 4-5 floggers. Some makers enjoy decorating the handle in various ways, from simple stain or paint, all the way through elaborate grooves, ornaments and leather coating. All this is up to you, of course, and there's a lot of fun to be had coming up with interesting designs. You can also purchase a piece of wood that's already decorated, such as a table or chair leg that comes with an interesting pattern (they typically sell for $5-10 at Home Depot and similar stores). Another alternative is an acrylic handle, which looks very nice, and can also be used as an insertable toy. Acrylic rods can be purchased at plastics supply shop, like the Tap Plastics chain, which has stores across the US. A 1 ¼" thick 9" acrylic rod would cost about $9. You can also try to think-up other creative handle solutions, such as a flogger I made using a Star-Wars Light Saber handle (the instructions for using it are "Use the force!").

To make the flogger, cut your chosen material to a square about 20" x 20", and then cut it to stripes that are between 3/8" to ½" wide. Don't cut it all the way through, though - leave the top 2" attached. It would be ideal to use a long ruler and a snap-knife to achieve nice and uniform tassels, but it can be also done with simple scissors and the flogger would be just as effective if the cut is not perfectly straight. If your material is already in smaller pieces (if you used leather scraps, or recycled an old leather coat), you might need to work a little extra when attaching the pieces to the handle.

Next, use some strong glue to attach the edge of the cloth to the handle. A contact glue such as E6000 is ideal, and you can also use Scotch High Performance Repair Glue (ADH669). I recommend gluing just the 1st inch and letting it dry. Once that has set, roll the cloth around the handle tightly, adding a bit of glue with every wind. Make sure not to put too much glue, as the tightening may cause it to ooze out and drip over the tassels. When you reach the end of your cloth, tie it around with a cable-tie or rope to prevent it from uncoiling, and let it set.

Once the glue has fully bonded, drill holes through the fabric into the handle, and secure it with screws. Depending on the thickness of the handle and the tassel material, you might consider using washers under the screw heads to avoid the flogger from breaking apart (remember…the material will be absorbing a lot of energy when you fling it!). In my floggers, I typically use two screws close to the end of the wrap, and one or two screws on the opposite side. With some of the lager floggers I made, I used 6 screws with 120 degrees in-between. Whatever you do, don't neglect drilling holes into the handle before putting in the screws, as you risk the wood splitting otherwise, which will force you to start almost from scratch. Also, place the screws around the handle with a bit of an offset, to avoid the screws hitting each other at the center of the handle and reducing the integrity of the wood.

Good luck with your floggers, and see you at the dungeon!