Friday, June 14, 2013

The Collection, part 2: Crops & Canes

To be perfectly honest, I'm not a big fan of canes or riding crops.  Crops, to me, lean more toward BDSM in general, rather than spanking, specifically.  While I understand BDSM, and don't mind participating (to some extent), the whole concept feels...colder to me, whereas spanking is more intimate and personal for me, and is exponentially more intriguing, arousing, and fulfilling for me (I am well aware others will disagree, but this is my perception of myself, and many others I've encountered, not to be taken as generalizing).

Canes, however, are--for many people--more severe than other spanking implements.  While I enjoy the pinks and reds that spanking paints bottoms with, I am not a fan of welts or bruises.  Some pains I find delicious, other pains...well...painful.  Perhaps, had canes been prevalent as tools of childhood punishment during my youth, I would have more of a nostalgic connection toward them, but, at present, they are simply instruments of pain in the eye of my psyche.  Additionally, like crops, their use puts more physical distance between players, leaving a bit less of an energetic and emotional connection between people (with the exception of, for lack of a better term, "lap canes"--shorter, to be maneuverable in an OTK or other closer situation).

Don't get me wrong; I am not wholly against canes or crops.  Both of these types of items have their uses.  Canes make sense to me within a relationship in which true physical punishment is received--a kind of relationship I would like to find.  Crops are fun toys.  Both can be erotic--crops are great to use on a spread-eagled, blindfolded girl (in numerous ways !), and I would expect canes to be very exciting to those who were raised in places where canes were used for punishment--but I, personally, find them less erotic than spanking (in truth, I distinguish, mentally, between spanking and caning).

Bottom line (pun intended):  I have used the cane, but it's just not the same.

Anyway, enough of that.  Half of my childhood was spent on a ranch in California (moving back and forth between parents).  When my father died, and I became administrator of the estate, I spent 6 months living on it again, during which time I paid a visit to the farm store, and purchased a selection of actual riding crops.

RIDING CROPS
(from firmest to most flexible)

Blue



Length:  19.5” + handle (rubber grip)
Very firm shaft; no give
Open duck-bill end:  l = 2”, w = 1 ¼”




I like this one for its rigidity and narrow tip.  The way the whip end is open, rather than looped, makes a different sound, and sting as well.











 Horse Whip




Length:  1 yard, + handle (rubber grip)
Width:  tapers 1 cm – ½ cm
Firm shaft, but a little flexible
Loose whip end:  l = > 6”









Unlike most crops, this does not have a wide leather tip.  Instead, it has a short, braided string, to give it an extra sting, similar to the short whip-sticks that carriage drivers use.  On a human, it can be used for the typical specific sting like a normal crop (albeit a stronger sting!), or as a narrow cane.



Black Bell




Length:  17” = handle (rubber grip)
Bell-shaped loop end:  l = 1 ½”, w = tapers 1” – 2”










 
The widened, bell-shaped leather on the end of this crop changes the aerodynamics, and therefore, the feeling of the impact.





Black




Length:  20” + handle (rubber grip)
Shaft is braided plastic
Softer suede loop end:  l = 2”, w = 2” –notched corners






 

 This is the only crop I own that is not "authentic"--not actually sold to use on horses.  This one was purchased in an adult fetish store in New York City.  The notched sides of the end of the loop give this crop yet another aerodynamic, as does the more flexible shaft and more mobile suede end.



Green 




Length:  24” + handle (rubber grip)
Shaft is braided plastic—a little more flexible than #1
Stiff leather loop end:  l = 3”, w = 2”, & 1 cm notched hole










This crop has a notch in the center, which, if you flick it quickly enough, will whistle a bit--enough to let the spankee know it is coming...



CANES

Rattan Cane 

[Okay, here's the part where, suddenly, blogspot's formatting has changed, and I can't shape things as I have been all along!  Soooooo frustrating!]


Length:  30”
Width:  1cm

(oooh...got it to work...wish me luck!)



The bow in the center of the shaft changes the impact of the cane, depending on which way the cane is facing.


Rod


Length:  27”
Width:  1 cm
Hard rubber or plastic
Fairly flexible


I used to think the use of this was like "spanking with a cane".  It's heavy, so gives a cane-like sting, combined with a paddle-like "thud".


"Intense Impact" Cane


Length:  18 ¼” + 6” handle (molded rubber grip)
Width:  Tapers 3/8” – ¼”         
Solid plastic shaft—rigid, but with some give


This is my latest acquisition.  I found it on Amazon, for less than $20.  They gave it that title--it's what I meant by a "lap cane".  It's short, easy to hold, and could easily be used for an over-the-knee spanking.


Wood Slat


Length:  30”
Width:  ¾”
Thickness:  < ¼”
Sanded, with rounded edges



This is simply a thin, flat, narrow strip of wood that I found lying around the house--one of those moments where you have no idea where the thing came from, but want it.  I sanded the sides, edges, and tips.  It's light, and feels something like a ruler, but can't be used too hard without breaking.


Whip Antenna


Length:  up to 21 ½” (telescoping)
Width:  > ¼” - < ¼”
Very light aluminum




This is a car antenna that had broken off ("whip antenna" is the technical term, not my doing).  I would never decide to use this on someone, unless they wanted or needed, and could handle, severe pain.  This is the kind of implement that, if misused, would easily break the skin, which I would never want to do.



Most of these I have never used, except in play or demonstration--a quick couple of flicks with each crop, to see how they differ.  Some I would like to use in certain situations (I do like to use the cane in a "schoolgirl" scenario, but have far less interest in having it used on me than most of my toys), and others I have no interest in using, but they fit well in the collection.

More to come.........

Monday, June 3, 2013

"The Collection" 1.1--update

This is one of those posts I started, but couldn't finish until I could upload photos:

This sits in place right next to my computer at all times, but I totally forgot about it while cataloguing my spanking toys.



Flyswatter
            Length:  22 3/8th” (end to end), 5¼” head
            Width:  tapers out to 4 5/8th
            Thickness:  1/16th
Light, rubbery plastic with many tiny holes.  The arm is stiff, but the head is very flexible, making it very stingy.

I remember, as a child, my grandmother on my mother's side had a metal flyswatter--I think it was homemade out of a wire clothes-hanger and a bit of metal screen.  If I remember correctly, it's another item my mother and her siblings were spanked with--perhaps I got a swat or two with it...I can't recall, but somehow I know how stingy it was.

I was always intrigued by the idea of spankings with a flyswatter, and fell in love with this one when I first laid eyes on it!

Sadly, it hasn't been used...yet......

Sunday, June 2, 2013

FINALLY!!!!!!

My computer is a crotchety old crone, and I keep trying to make her compete in triathlons.  I've been trying for weeks to upload photos with picasa, but the effort continually froze my computer entirely.  Tonight, I finally managed!!!  I will now be able to continue the numerous blogs I've started, but have been unable to  complete (assuming my PC hag continues to wheeze out breath).  In the meantime.....this:


AMEN!