Tape Knot Teaser

Back from my rock climbing days we used to make our own slings from 25mm tube tape. This is available from most adventure stores at least in Australia at a price quite reasonable when compared to premade slings.

As you can see from the photo there are no lose ends from the doubt tape knot in the completed loop (like in my previous post on the Tape Knot)  even though it was made from a simple length of tube tape. 

When I was first shown this ... I was told I had to work it out for myself !!!

I set the same challenge to you all.

Would love to hear some feed back if others use this method to make loops and if you don't how long it took you to work it out. Its not rocket science but a bit of ropey fun.

Feel free to beg if you just don't get it :>

Tape Knot

This is a basic knot for tying lengths of tape (seat belt material) together. The white tape below is 25mm tube tape but it can be applied to 50mm single tape or any other flat sort of material.

This knot is also how I used to finish tying the tape harness  I used for my complete rock climbing career. Being a poor uni student 5m of 50mm tape was significantly cheaper then a dedicated harness.

I will do some later posts showing how to tie a tape harness and a fun challenge to tie a tape loop without tails!

 

The knot is basically the overhand knot tied in a flat style started above and completed loosely below.

 

 

The knot can be kept in a flat style above or tightened as below

Another use for the tape knot is to joint two ends of tape to form a loop.  The basic theory is to tie a single tape knot as above and then feed in the other end or length of tape where the first end exits the first tape knot.

 

Tie a loose tape knot

 

Feed in the other end/second tape where the first end exits the knot.

 

Follow the knot around.

 

Exit the first tape knot at the long end.

 

Tighten up the knot.

 The final loop with lose ends.

Bamboo Tripod

Well this project has been coming for a while. I found a bamboo supplier (new supplier) but it was remote from me ... so I hesitated (or procrastinated) for quite some time before jumping in. 

To be honest it was not the best online purchase experience that I have had as the poles were on the lower end of the specified size range despite the request for being closer to the high side. But I did get a positive response from a Director in the company. 

My recommendation would be to very clear in your requirements when ordering and this was a learning experience for me. 

Check out the supplier and hand pick the poles if you can.

The long (pun) and the short of it was the poles are fit for purpose. I am not sure how much variability there are in poles so I can only talk about what I have been supplied.

Warning: While I could convert to imperial I choose not to as to avoid unnecessary mistakes. I am a mechanical engineer, ex-rock climber and generally been doing this stuff for a bit so have a reasonable level of confidence. This means I am fairly cautious but also pragmatic and risk aware in my approach. I care a lot for peoples safety and have done so as part of my work and social life. This not a "how to" guide and I would expect you to have a similar level of confidence in your own ability.

Material

What I have ended up with were there 2900 mm long poles, each pole is about 3kg and taper from a nominal 65 to 60 mm outside diameter with about 10 mm wall thickness. The yellow finish was termed bleached by my supplier as opposed to natural/green.

Warning: One thing I didn't consider when I ordered the poles was to specify straightness.  I had a mild panic when I started to assemble the tripod as to how straight the poles were compared to each other!!!

For the lashing I have used 8 m of 6 mm hemp. The lashing was based upon the instructions in this link (if it dies let me know I have a copy). With the diameter of poles this was enough rope for about 9 wraps around the poles and 3 wraps around the lashing itself. Sorry about my non technical description but others have done a much better job then myself in using the correct terms ... I'm sure I would just get them wrong!

Method

How do you do the lashing ? Where are the pics !!! Umm there are none cos I found some instructions online.

I laid out the two outer poles one way and centre the other way. Why did I do this method ? Well I couldnt see how I was going to errect the tripod in my unit with the poles all together. My unit ceiling is about 2800 mm and didn't really feel like wrestling with the poles that much.

With one pole separate you can use that pole to lift the other two which fell into place with some giggering around and the structure erected. I think lashing the poles all aligned the same way would be easier for transporting but it doesn't take very long to lash the poles.

The tripod was amazingly stable just sitting on my carpet without any restraint at the base. But I have put up a back up rope at least on one side thus far until I give it a flogging. Two of the bases are butted against two perpendicular walls so they are moving no where.

The suspension point is a 25mm tube tape sling that has been larks head knotted over the lashing point. The sling was long enough to wrap around the lashing point twice which isn't a bad thing. Friction is your friend. The Carabiner is about 1900 mm above the floor.

Thoughts

While it is not clear in the photo above a lot of the load is indeed being held by the poles. The lashing are "merely" constraining there geometric proximity to each other to allow that load path/transfer. It is important to be sure the poles are in positive contact with each other as the load path will then be 100% though the lashing.

My major concern at the moment is that I feel too much tension is going though the lashing. I think its unlikely to fail spectacularly given there are at least 9 wraps  and that it will be disassembled and inspected before retying. I think the load is being held more by the lashing itself rather then being distributed to the poles. I might look at upgrading the lashing rope to a climbing grade rope to give myself a warm fuzzy.

I probably should do something about keeping the base tied together but I really don't see them moving in my application. I will start playing with it and see what happens.

This will probably sounds strange but it has been amazing what a positive feeling I have gotten from this project and living with my own tripod literally a centre point in my life (well living room at least).

My Book List

This is a List of my bdsm books (sorta in order of preference). These are just my personal preferences and no reflection on the authors or the work I know that goes into the preparation of original work. Note that not all the books are about bondage as there is more to the Ds dynamic then rope (shock horror I know!)

First Choice

• Arisue's Go's Kinbaku Mind and Techniques 1
• Arisue's Go's Kinbaku Mind and Techniques 2 (Floor Works 1)
• Beauty of Kinbaku - Master K
• Douglas Kent's Complete Shibari Volume 1 Land
• Douglas Kent's Complete Shibari Volume 2 Sky
• The Seductive Art of Japanese Bondage - Midori
• Back on the Ropes - Two Knotty Boys
• Screw teh roses Send me the Thorns - Miller & Devon
• Rope, Bondage, Power - Lee Harington
• Bondage for Sex - Chanta Rose
• Shibari you can use - Lee Harington
• Wild Side Sex: The Book of Kink - Midori
• KinkyCrafts: 99 Do-it-youself S/M Toys - Green & Easton
• SM101 - Jay Wiseman

Second Choice

• Radical Ecstasy - Easton & Hardy
• Master's Manual - Jack Rinella
• The Control Book - Peter Masters
• Protocols: a Variety of Views - Bob Rubel
• Master Slave Relations - Bob Rubel
• Art of Slavery - Bob Rubel
• Erotic Slavehood - Christina Abernathy
• New Bottoming Book - Easton & Hardy
• New Topping Book - Easton & Hardy

Worst Choice

• Showing you the Ropes - Two Knotty Boys
• Errotic Bondage Handbook - Jay Wiseman

My best source of books has been AbeBooks and in particular The Book Depository that offers flatrate delivery of books at least to Australia.

Kinbaku, Hojojutsu, Shibari, Fusion and Western Bondage

You way well wonder what are let alone the difference between Kinbaku, Hojojutsu, Shibari, Fusion and Western Bondage. I think you can probably ask three rope experts(?) and come up with at least five different answers. So I guess I will add mine ...

Kinbaku - I see this as the pure traditional form of Japanese sensual bondage. The forms are well defined and referenced in many places so I wont go into detail here but will document my own ties as I learn them. I am often asked "Whats the difference to Shibari ? Isnt this just Shibari?" ... to me the difference to me is like learning Karate in Okinawa to learning it in LA. Yes they are sort of the same but also intrinsically different at a philosphical and spiritual level.

Hojojutsu - is the martial art of subbuing and binding prisioners based upon the practices of feudal Japanese warriors. There are many similarities and ties to jojitsu and ninjitsu. Perhaps not exactly correct but its the way I see it.

Shibari - is a more westernised approach to Kinbaku. Not so much focused on form but just the general sorts of ties you see documented in most bondage books. Probably more focused on sexuality then perhaps sensuality and further removed from the traditional martial origins.

Fusion - I see as being even further removed from the eastern origins and more focused on  fancy knot work. I am not sure of the source of the knots but I would suspect more decorative areas such as macrame and yachting :)

Western Bondage - (or dont care just tie the bitch) is the fine art of functional bondage. Form and style have given away to functionality and speed. Its the means to another ends rather then the art itself. Again perhaps not everyones view on it but this is mine.

Rescue Hook or EMT Shears

Well I rather the Benchmade 5 Hook (in the middle) for a few reasons.

• Small compact size.
• Simple to use.
• Less components to fail.
• Opens beer bottles (after roping!)

The only minuses are that the cutting edge is not easily sharpened and it will tarnish over time especially if used to open beer bottles! These are not significant as emergency equipment should stay sharp due to infrequence use and the tarnish can be rubbed off with steel wool or wet dry sand paper if you are fussy.

The plastic rescue hook (on the right) is similar in ease of use to the Benchmade hook. It has advantages of replaceable blades which are razor sharp. But down side of more bits to break when you need them most.

EMT shears (on the left) are my last choice as they arent so simple to cut rope. Admittedly they are less likely to unintentionally cut someone through mishandling then rescue hooks (yes I have accidentally nicked myself with rescue hooks) but I also see various quality shears around which I think you really do not want to rely upon in an emergency situation.

Step Zero - Risk Aware Safety

Roping can harm. It is simple and there is much literature out and about all the possible ways in which it can happen. I do play in public at events where I have only just met someone ... so I will run through my approach. 

My approach is to direct the scene to minimise the risk of harm and the list below is by no where complete but in the rough order I see as most risk if not addressed.

Responsibility - its a rope tops obligation to take responsibility for the safety and positive experience that is a rope scene. This includes good are of your equipment and making your rope bottom risk aware. It also requires you to attain a certain level of proficiency in rope and knowledge of safety aspects.

Soberity - its basically asking for trouble if a bottom is not sober enough to drive. Given I think one beer is too much for most to be behind the wheel gives you how I rather play. It impares judgement and sensation for the rope bottom which only leads to trouble.

Experience - check for a rope bottoms experience and any issues or difficulties in past rope scenes. I usually run through the basic form of the bondage to check for any physical restrictions in the planned positioning of the bottom due to flexibility or injury. As a general rule I do not suspend someone until I get to know them (yes I did learn the hard way ...). Floor scenes often are quite fun anyhow.

Intimacy - always establish the limits of intimacy as not to cross ones boundaries. I have encountered the strangest taboos ... "don't touch my throat/ears/feet/bum or I will drop out of scene and most likely try and kill you!". Being male I sometimes forget ... consider what your bottom is wearing as it could get damaged, crumpled or pick up fluff.

Equipment Failure - the biggest risk of equipment failure is incorrect utilisation and application. The long and the short of it is that humans make mistakes. Be cautious. Double check. Have a mate check your setup. Know how to use your kit and its capability. My preference is to use climbing rated hardware although I do use some marine grade hardware where I work within 5-10 times the device load capacity. I do not use equipment that is not load rated.

Allergies or Asthma - I always check for any alergies to grass or hemp or things that can bring on a asthma attack. I usually check for any reason I might need to get someone out of a tie quickly and establish how she will indicate 911 get me out now! I always have my rescue hook on my person. This is when I usually ask if the bottom has any health problems I should know about including the obvious infectious diseases, heart problems, diabetes, etc. The bottom does need to inform as part of their risk mitigation.

Rope Marks - always check if the bottom has been marked before, problems with excessive bruising or have issues with being left with visible marks after a scene.

Communication - always check how your rope bottom is traveling particularly if you are not familiar with tying them up. Yes its not always the best scene but neither is harming a bottom. As familiarity and skill build this can be moderated to the level required. Always remember communication is a two way street and as much the responsibility of the rope bottom.

Circulation - I will not repeat what many others more learned then myself have already posted. Its your responsibility to be aware of the risk of cutting circulation and how to detect it before it become an issue for your bottom. Easy way to check is to feel the bottoms skin (most often hands) to see if they are clammy or cold. The bottom will sometimes experience pins and needles.

Nerve Pinching - I will not repeat what many others more learned then myself have already posted. Its your responsibility to be aware of the risk of the possibility and consequences of nerve damage. It is also your responsibility to tie in a way that minimises these risks. Basic risk avoidance are not being tight over skinny bits such as joints (elbows, knees, wrists, neck, etc), pressure points (shoulders, genitals,etc) and position of vulnerable nerves such as the sciatic nerve.

Now you might ask why is circulation and nerve pinching last on my list. For a few reasons.

• If you do know what you are doing there is a low chance of occurrence.
• The risk minimising above usually mitigates unexpected problems.

Rope Types

I was going to write an article on rope types but I found a good article by erinhoudini who also supplies interesting dyed nylon solid braid. So I guess I might talk about why I use particular ropes.

Jute/Hemp

Is my first choice of rope for the way it feels and affects a rope bottom. The best description I have heard from a bottom is that "it is like being wrapped in croncrete". This is due to the low deflection under load which makes for better bondage and knotting. I rather the lightness of jute compared to hemp.

Synthetic

I mostly use this if I can find one supple enough to hold knots such as climbing rope.  Often synthetic rope from hardware stores just doesnt have a nice feel or knots securely.  Climbing rope also has the advantage of being load rated. Synthetic rope does also come in nice colours.

Cotton

I mostly use this rope as a disposable rope for practice or where there is risk of contamination. It realy just does not knot nicely as they tighten and stretch under load.

Hog Tie Competitions

I was first introduced to Western Hog Ties at a hog tie comp at Leather Pride Week Fair Day (if  memory serves) in Sydney many years ago. One of the competitors (Mark of DV8 House) and I discussed some sensible rules for such competitions.

• Both use the same length of rope
• Use all of the rope
• Must be secure
• Hands & ankles must be tied.
• Must be able to pick up the rope bottom by the rope

The critical ones I had overlooked and highlighed by Mark were the same length of rope and using all of the rope. Although the size of the rope bottom would also be a consideration for this as well.

The main caution is that the wrist is a weak joint and that direct binding from ankles to wrist can lead to injury. 

The alternative to direct binding of wrists to ankles is to start with a basic chest harness and bind the hands and feet with 2 column ties to the chest harness. This distributes the load across the chest and shoulders which allows for a longer scene with lower stress on the bottom.

Three Knots to Bind Them All

I like life simple. I think you really only need to know three knots to tie almost anything you can think of and best of all you probably already know two of them. These are not my demos cos heaps of other people have done ones better then me. (from left to right)

• Larks Head Knot
• Overhand or Thumb Knot
  (tied to the rod with a clove hitch)
• One/Two Column Tie
• Boola Boola (or this)
• Somerville Bowline 

Esinem has a good discussion and tips on the Boola Boola.

Before you can say I cant count there are four knots. Well the last one is a personal preference and to be honest you can get away with just learning the Boola Boola. The Somerville Bowline is just a bit smancey.

Basic Hair Tie

This tie is based upon Twisted Monk's Basic Hair Tie Video.  My variation has more wraps as I find single wraps tend to slip in a subs hair. Optionally you can skip the last step if you want to leave the initial knot unlocked with the tail through the rope loop. 

As in Monk's video I am using 4mm rope (jute in my case as is my perference )but as he didnt mention rope length. I have used one about 3m long. Long enough to tie the hair and tie off to somewhere else like ankles or a chest harness. 4mm is used because its more flexible and not as heavy. You can go smaller say to 2mm spectra or 6mm to incorporate into another tie if the subs hair is not too fine.

Make a bight (loop) in the middle of the rope

and grab the hair in a ponytail

 Wrap the bight end of rope around the hair two times

 Tie a simple overhand knot

Make a loop from the hair

Wrap the tail (loose) end around the hair loop two times

 Poke the tail through the hair loop

 Secure though rope loop