The
Master Toymaker.

By Bob King

According to the lore of BDSM, the average beleathered kinkster is a working
professional with an income of $50,000 or more.

Buddy, can you spare a hide?

Even if that bit of wisdom is true, it means that a whole bunch of us
still have less than we would like to spend on toys. And whether that's because
we are trying to feed six kids or are temporarily embarrassed because the yacht
is in dry-dock with a thrown rod, there's a lot you can do on a tiny budget.

Hell, maybe you are just greedy and want a wall of toys. Even if you have tons
of money, there's nothing like waving around something that you made just for
you, to your exact preferences.

Expensive leather toys like floggers are really unsuited for shared play. So
as a dominant, I much prefer to make toys that can be easily sterilized or which
are inexpensive enough to simply leave with the sub as a memento mori - to be
used the next time.

There's even a little subtle competition involved in this...

"Ah, Master FunkyDom made this? Hm. The throw isn't bad... but let's
try mine!"

And then, so many of us travel and not all of us are comfortable with asserting
our sexuality with customs agents and airline security folks. Innocent looking
toys are a big plus.

So, here's the some contents of my traveling toy bag.

• Roll of duct tape.
• A couple rolls of black hockey tape.
• A bundle of white polypropylene braided macramé rope. This
  is softer than normal rope, it holds a knot unbelievably well and it's absorbent..
  which leads to the next item.
• Latex mold making compound. Oh, yes, you can spend a fortune buying liquid
  latex for kinky purposes. Or you can go to your local plastics supply stuff
  and buy the stuff they buy and add color to. Me, I'm quite happy with the
  natural color of latex so I haven't bothered researching coloring agents.
• Several pieces of cotton kitchen gauze. Medical gauze is more expensive,
  since it's sterile. On the other hand, it comes in handy rolls.
• Ace bandages, of course.
• A big bag of Crayola modeling foam.
• Bamboo barbecue skewers and chopsticks.
• Rubber bands - heavy and light.
• Clothespins.
• Household utility shears - the ones you can "cut a penny with". These are
  useful both as a safety tool and for whomping stuff up in a fine improvisational
  way.
• About eight feet of 6" clear "strip door" vinyl, available at most plastics
  shops, lumber yards and industrial supply houses.
• A roll of velcro.
• A tin of Weld-Bond adhesive.
• A roll or two of plastic film.
• Spool of decorative bead chain.
• Contact cement.
• Grommet pliers and grommets. Rivets and riveting tools. A good Leatherman
  or equivalent multitool.
• A roll of parcel twine. And when I'm feeling cruel and implacable - a roll
  of steel core clothesline, crimping clamps and assorted hardware.

What the heck can I do with all this? Odds are you have some ideas too,
but I'll trot mine out to share.

Fun with Latex

Let's start with a simple toy.

Make a hank of that macramé rope. Wrap several turns around your thumb
and your elbow, like you were coiling an extension cord. Take the hank and pull
it straight, take one end, uncoil it once, and start wrapping back until you
can tuck the very end through the top loop. Tug to make it tight.

You can actually use this toy just as it is, after trimming the other free
tail. or you can cut through the loops and have a soft ended rope flogger that's
mostly light and fluffy thud. Or you can get creative.

For a purely vicious little toy, make one with a small number of "tails", four
or five is about right. Cut the loops and knot the ends. Now, dip the finished
result in liquid latex, work it throughout the fabric of the rope, squeeze out
the excess and hang it up to dry overnight.

The more tails, the more thud. The fewer tails, the more welts. Knots will
leave nice little bruises. Delightful little toy, and tolerant of 10% bleach
solution, although you should treat it in the same way as any other latex toy.

Now try it using parcel twine.

Something gentler? Cut an old shirt into even strips. Take three chopsticks
and whittle them down to the length you prefer for a handle. Pinch the tails
between the chopsticks and take a turn around each end with hockey tape.

Dip the whole thing in the latex. Squeeze it out and hang it up to dry, making
sure to check it occasionally and separate the tails as the latex dries. A hair
dryer will speed the process considerably.

Now, when the latex is still tacky, take some rope, twine or cloth and wrap
the handle. Dip the handle and work out the latex. Let the whole thing
dry. This will make quite a solid rubber flog and you'll be impressed by the
"live" feel the bamboo chopsticks give the handle. You can use fishing weights
to weight the handle if you like, it's a good idea to do that if you make a
honkin' big mop flogger this way.

Ok, let's get more creative.

Crayola foam

Got
a Windmere or Hitachi vibrator? Lovely things, aren't they? Still, there are
some places they just won't reach. But we can fix that.

Grab a chunk of plastic wrap and a rubber band and wrap the vibrator.
This gives us something we can paint latex on, and of course it keeps goo
out of the works.

Now, take the modeling foam and mush it onto the vibe, so you cover that mushroom
head about half-way. Remember, you want to be able to take it off afterwards,
you might have a stiff neck.

Once you have a cap of foam, you can add bits to make a general shape. Many
little nubs, or a long probe shape, or a big thick dong... or whatever. Get
creative, but don't fuss, the latex coating will hide fine details.

Let the foam dry according to directions until it's about the consistency of
a foam cup. Test it for vibration transmission. Ain't that astonishing?

Now, dip or brush latex all over it. To do the best job, you really
want to brush on several thick coats, drying it in


between. Brush the latex down below the foam, so that it's directly gripping
the vibrator head. Make sure to build up a fairly thick collar so that
you can easily remove your toy for storage.

The result is a startlingly effective personal toy. Total cost, about seven
dollars, and perfectly designed for the target in question.

Foam/latex Gag:

You can make a mouth filling gag that is comfortable for reasonably
prolonged wear, breathable and yet quite effective with the same
technique.

The advantage of the modeling foam is that you can line her mouth with plastic
film, push in a bunch of foam and mold it to the shape you want. Mold it around
a bundle of three plastic straws. so that her cheeks look right and her jaw
is at the proper angle. Remove it to dry, brush it with latex, then cut the
straws off and carefully add latex to coat any potential sharp edges. Several
coats are better. It's best to reinforce the first layer with gauze strips,
it's easiest to leave the straws in until before the last brush coats.

Remember that the latex will increase the severity with the thickness, and
thicker is better, so make sure the foam core is smaller than the finished gag
you want.

If you want something she can really chew on, take a thick cellulose
sponge and cut it to the shape desired. Stuff it in. Remember to moisten
it first. If you want a breather gag, take an ordinary cellulose sponge,
the thin square kind, and punch some holes in the narrow ends. Tie it together
with twine, so it makes a tube. Punch more holes in the side for a rope
to go through, tie it in back of her head and tell her how much she looks
like Daisy Duck.

Going somewhere kinky? Make a fashion statement.

Take your sub and wrap their arms to their torso with plastic wrap,
making sure to emphasize the positive to the degree the party allows.

Now, take gauze and dip it in the latex. Start applying. The gauze will limit
stretch, so the only way this comes off is to roll it off... with help.
Dry the latex until tacky with a hair dryer and repeat. Get creative, use colorful
scrap fabrics, bits of

leather, chain, feathers and whatever else in the later coats, making
sure that you'll be able to roll it off your sub without

anything poking her.

When you are finished, squirt it down with Armor-All, roll it up your
sub's torso to remove it, and spray the inside once you

have it off. Now, take the plastic wrap off and let her dress her bottom
half... since she's going to have a heck of a time

doing it once you put this bondage bandeau back on her.

Duct tape.

Duct tape is wonderful stuff. It comes in all colors, it's got great
tack and it's a favorite for improvisational bondage.


But it can be used to create items of near permanence that have a lot of fetish
value without requiring you to have extensive skills or expensive equipment.

Let's take a bondage hood, for example. Start with a latex bathing cap
and tuck her hair up under it. Cover her face with a

single layer of gauze, wrapped around and tacked into place.

If you intend her to be gagged when wearing the helmet, put the gag
in now, but without any gag strap. If you don't have a

strapless gag, you can make one easily using the techniques I mentioned
above.

Start with a strip of tape that runs from the nape of the neck, around
over the mouth and back, nipping little triangles out of


the tape to allow it to follow curves without wrinkling. Now, take a strip of
tape and start at the nape of the neck, covering the seam in the previous tape,
and bring the strip over the top of the head. Stop when you get to the bridge
of the nose and carefully pay out enough tape to continue down to the tape over
her mouth. Split that section up the middle and carefully lay it down either
side of her nose.

Run another strip down from the mouth to her throat,

Now, take another strip that's long enough to just cover both her eyes and
notch it deeply in the center to fit over the bridge of her nose. Run one more
long strip from the side of her neck, just in front of her ear, across the top
of her head, and down the other side.

Take another strip of tape and run it up the back of her neck to just
about the tops of her ears.

Circle her neck with two layers of tape, to anchor everything firmly and fill
in the the rest with overlapping short strips or shapes. This is where the second
and third colors of tape come in handy.

This will give you a total coverage helmet. And it's a scene in itself.

After some moments or hours for recreation, take bandage shears and carefully
slit the back of the helmet up to the level of her ears, to about an inch below
where the reinforcing strip ends. Work the hood off, admire the glazed look
in her eyes and put it aside for the moment.

Ok, now that you have a free moment, take your shears and widen the slit evenly
to about three quarters of an inch. Reinforce the edges and neck with strips
of tape that wrap around to the inside.

If you wish to make eyeholes, cut them out and reinforce them similarly, then
cover the reinforcements with cut-out appliqués.

Now, line the inside with more tape, being careful to avoid any wrinkles.

Put grommets into the back of the helmet, add laces and call her back
over....

If you are careful and take your time, you can create something as visually
impressive as a three hundred dollar latex bondage helmet. And since you have
built it right onto the individual, it will fit perfectly. The same techniques
can be used to make a matching pair of thigh high boots suitable for costume
wear, using a pair of shoes or low boots as a foundation.

I'm sure you can see how gloves, cinches and bras might be created.

The Glass Flogger:

Take a length of six inch strip door vinyl equal to the total length of the
flogger you prefer and using a stripping tool or if you are brave, use shears
to create freehand tails to the appropriate length. A slightly irregular edge
gives a better look as it's flying, but the keyword is "slightly".

Roll it up, see how it looks.

Bevel the outside edge of the part of the strip forming the handle on the inner
face, so that it creates a smooth seam when rolled up tight. Clamp it with two
heavy rubber bands.

My choice for finishing the handle is clear packing tape because it maintains
the transparency of the toy, but you could finish it in leather strips or whatever.
However, you will have to use something to tape it together while you work and
I've found clear packing tape has the right degree of stick and flex for the
job.

The rolled strip provides a comfortable handle with a good "feel" without
being floppy.. If you like more heft, well, it's no trick to weight the core.

You can get 12 inch strips, but they will produce too thick of a roll for a
comfortable grip, so you will have to create the tails alone and mount them
onto a handle.

The results are worth the effort. The clear vinyl catches light and looks exactly
like a cascade of shattered glass descending upon the helpless sub. Despite
having what looks like quite sharp edges, it does not easily cut the skin. Best
of all, it's quite happy to take a bath in bleach solution.

One drawback is a tendency for the tails to stick together with static, this
can be cured with a light coating of good old skin oil.

Ze
Piece d' Resistance is Useless.

Creating a custom bondage harness that's wearable long term has
got to be expensive, right?

How about 30 or 40 dollars?

Here's what you need to create a custom designed harness, either permanent
or locking.

A fifty foot roll of wire core clothesline.

Two boxes of crimpable fasteners.

A pair of good pliers.

A roll of waterproof electrical tape, or if you feel fancy, the sort
of tape that's used for patching garden hoses.

Simply treat the wire as you would rope, creating a japanese macramé
harness, remembering that this is a lot less forgiving

than rope and doesn't have to be tight - just snug with the skin.

Instead of knots, you crimp ends together. Where you wish to join more
than two ends, or you wish more flex in the join,

you can create small loops by crimping the wire back on itself and
passing other loops through. Wrap each crimp firmly

with waterproof tape.

Remember to think ahead and create loops over the thighs, behind the back and
at the neck to clip cuffs to. voila! It's discreet enough to be worn under clothing,
cheap enough that you can weave a full body chastity and say to your cringing
sub... lock? What lock?

Alas, it doesn't lend itself all that well to cuffs, unless you braid
it.

I prefer to simply take a length of that clear vinyl, wrap it around a wrist
and glue it with Weld-Bond. Make sure you have plenty of overlap. Cut another
piece slightly narrower than the cuff with a two measured holes and a
slit to allow hasp to be passed through. Glue the whole to the cuff.. The remaining
clothesline is ideal for joining wrist and ankle shackles and making tethers.

That should keep you busy for a while!