Bondage: the ropes (cont)

Diameter

For our purposes, basic bondage, 5/16” diameter rope is about right. Larger could be difficult to knot, smaller could bring circulation problems or cut the skin. Rope should not be less that ¼” or larger than 3/8”.

Lenghts

There are lots of variables in which the length of the rope depends, such as the diameter of your sub’s wrists and ankles, his or her height, the size of the bed or the height of the wall or ceiling hooks, the diameter of the bedposts. We could say that, for our purposes, and as a minimum, we would begin with

• two 8 feet (2.40m) ropes, for tying both limbs together, or the hands to the “rack” (or bedposts, lacking a rack),
• two of 12 feet (3,50 m), for tying the legs to the rack with a prusik knot, or the hands to the wall or ceiling hooks.

Just in case, we prefer to have also a longer piece:

• one 15 feet (4.50m) just in case you need to tie your kneeling sub to the ceiling, or something like that.

It means, adding them, that you will need about 55 feet (or 19 yards) of rope. You will need a lot more for artistic bondage.

If the rope is too long or too short for the use, tying the knots will be difficult, and we don’t like to see the remaining tails laying around if too long.

So, we would buy the rope, cut one piece of each of the first two recommended lengths, test, and trim to the right size, before cutting its matching pieces to the same length. What is left will be the long rope.

This is for our minimalist functional bondage. If you want to experiment with art bondage, you will need a lot more than this.

The ends of the rope

The cut ends of a twisted rope will unravel. Those of a braided one will unbraid. For avoiding it you should make some finishing work on them.

Of course, you could just tie a knot near each end of the rope, but the bump in the rope will make using it more difficult.  We give you several other choices:

• The easiest way is with duct or electrical tape. Just cover in tightly coiled tape about one inch of the ends of the rope. You could do it even before cutting the rope. Coil about two inches of the rope with tape over the place you will cut, and cut in the middle of the tape. Both ends will be protected simultaneously. Electrical tape comes in several colors, so you could use different colors for identifying ropes of different lengths.
• You could also use heat-shrink sleeves (the ones used for covering electrical cables), but be sure that you get the smallest ones that fit over the rope. If they don’t shrink tightly, they will fall off.
• With plastic ropes (nylon or the like), you could fuse the ends using a hot knife, but they will become hard and uneven, so we prefer the tape also in them.
• If you are working with natural ropes, and prefer to keep the traditional ways, “whip” the ends of the ropes, using twine or thick sewing thread (you could also use different colors for marking purposes) or dental floss (the flat one) (not too traditional, but it works).

Maintenance and care

We are not going into details about which rope is more or less sensitive to sunlight, heating and the like, because our rope is going to be used mostly indoors or at most for some hours outdoors.

All ropes are affected by ultraviolet light (sunlight), if exposed continuously to it. Most are damaged by prolonged exposure to heat (a long time over 140º is heat enough).

Natural fibers are prone to rot, if left wet for some time.

Sharp bends and knots lessen the ropes strength.

So, store your ropes in a dark, fresh and dry place, preferably with good ventilation. If possible, store them hanging and not inside a bag, where they could get wet for natural humidity.

Store them without knots and neatly coiled (you could use elastic bands for keeping them coiled). There are two reasons for that: first, it is better for the ropes maintenance; second, you will not have to stop in the middle of a scene for fighting with a twisted and knotted rope, which not only is anticlimactic, but also speaks badly of your skill at the game.

You should wash the ropes, if possible, after each use. Sweat form the subs body and dirt will reduce the rope’s life. Hang for drying out naturally off the sunlight, as spread as you can, in a ventilated and dry place, for drying fast. Do not use heat for hastening the process. Do not store wet.

You should wash the natural ones beforehand, for softening them.

Check for signs of wear or discoloration (signals chemical damage) and discard if suspicious any rope that will bear weight, even if you don’t use them for suspension.
 

Enjoy the game.

Published: 02/24/05