Duct Tape

Haven't written for a while but something sort of brought this to mind and I thought I would do a little brain dump on it. 

Bondage kink does not require a lot of special materials, so much of what we use can be obtained in the home. Easy. There's an almost endless stream of household kink items and I am not here to describe them all, but to name a few:

Clothespins-- yeah, those can be anything from easy-peasy to really painful, depending on how and where applied.

Rope-- well, duh. Not everybody has rope, but it is an easy household thing to get.

Ice-- Oooo yes, again, depending on how and where applied.

Vegetables-- like bananas, cucumbers, and so on. And yes, ginger. OK, most people don't actually have ginger lying around the fridge but it is a household item that is easy to get and yep, it really can get the job done. 

Panties-- Underwear in general can be used as gags and have the added advantage of being sort of disgusting if not clean.

Wooden spoons-- great impact device. I've had guys tied down with their balls tied tight with shoe laces so they bulge nicely then used a wooden spoon to just slap those balls repeatedly, not hard, but hard enough, and over time they are begging, absolutely begging me to stop. Such fun!

Shoe laces-- I won't get into them too much, but they are useful for some very specific usages.

Turkey baster-- Again, not going to get too far into what this can be used for, but it is an interesting tool lying around the house that can be used to provide interesting sensations and activities.

Duct tape-- uh... no. No, no, no. No, duct tape seems like a great idea, it is just sitting there in the house, waiting to be applied. Most people have some and yes, it can be pretty secure.

But god no. 

It looks good, at least in theory. Easy to find, easy to apply. No fancy knots needed! Just wrap around a few times and voila, immobilized sub!

Flat, secure, and it looks good. It's also relatively easy to release-- just a good pair of shears cut right through it.

So why not? Why isn't this used in preference to ropes and cuffs and all other forms of restraint?

Well, first of all, the obvious reason. It hurts. Taking it off is miserable, it rips hair off and pulls flesh and just really hurt.

But what many people don't realize is that it doesn't just hurt coming off-- it hurts while it is on. Any movement causes the tape to pull and tear at hair and skin. Yuck.

Another reason. It isn't as secure as it looks. Just one or two loops around might not be enough. It can stretch and bend, and in the process the sub can wriggle their way out. So you have to wrap around several times, like, a dozen, as with the lovely model in the picture here. If wrapped enough times, duct tape can be secure. but if not, the sub (me) will work on it until it gives way.

My main reason for hating duct tape as a restraint-- it doesn't stay nice and flat. It does if the sub (me) doesn't move at all. But as soon as the sub starts moving around, straining against the tape and wriggling (which always happens, I never stay still), the tape tends to bunch up and collapse into thinner folds. 

These thinner folds will cut right into the flesh. Painfully. It can literally cause bleeding cuts (if the sub is struggling enough, which given my dom is usually doing something nasty to me is inevitable).

So when is duct tape OK? Um... never, though I will say it can be reasonably used to secure a good gag. Most bondage gags don't do much to silence the victim, and some don't even prevent them (me) from talking. Ball gags are fun but mostly for show. Applied incorrectly they can be pushed out and they never prevent the sub from making all the noise the want and even talking up a storm. Panel gags, ring gags, etc-- some provide some silencing but most provide minimal muffling and make it a slightly bit harder to be understood.

The best way to actually silence a victim is to stuff their mouth with cloth (e.g. the panties mentioned above) then tape the mouth. Note-- the tape can't be just over the mouth, it's incredibly easy to remove that way. It has to be wrapped around the back.

Of course, that means the glue from the tape will get stuck to the hair in back and once again-- painful to get off. There are other ways to secure a cloth gag.

I should mention bondage tape here. It's sorta similar to duct tape, but sticks to itself without glue. This does have some advantages and works a bit better than duct tape. But-- it has some of the disadvantages, such as not being very secure, and bunching up and turning into abrasive, cutting strips that cane be quite painful.

In my opinion, the best way to be secured is with good old rope. Cured and prepared hemp if possible, if not cotton or nylon. Never, for god's sake, never twine or the thinner breads of rope.  Or use cheater shortcuts like handcuffs, leather cuffs, etc.