I make my own hemp, jute, bamboo-silk, and cotton ropes (I have a few others in the works but they are in the testing phase so coming soon), and when I vend at events I offer dyed nylon rope.

I’ve found after testing the different materials (natural vs. synthetic that is; testing each type of material against each other is another another post entirely) and… asking a few different people from different engineering backgrounds what could be attributed to the failure of synthetic vs. natural ropes that tend to be twisted in their construction vs. synthetic that tends to be braided.

Basicly the braided nylon rope allows for a more even wear and tear over the material over the life of the rope.

This information was brought to me by some friends at the United States Army Corps of Engineers and a mechanical engineer that I keep on staff here at Bastard Ropes. So if Ive butchered the re-telling of this info…oops.

Cheers,

I know how twisted rope is made, but I’m not really sure about braided, but this doesn’t make much sense to me. Unless we are talking about ropes that are made with an outer sheath (core/sheath or kern/mantle construction)? In climbing ropes, there is a tough, durable outer woven sheath that covers the actual inner working rope. Can you explain to me how/why this works?

There are some Youtube videos out there on synthetic braided ropes, crazy to watch. I tried making braided jute rope apart of my repertoire at BastardRopes.com but its just not time/cost effective, but it would increase the strength I imagine, but never had it tested.

But I was referring to solid braided nylon 1/4(6 mm) rope not twisted nylon.
My bad didn’t clarify. But no they didn’t even have an outter sheath like you’d find on climbing ropes that are often used today.

Theres tons of really useful information on the construction and production of nylon rope rope twisted and braided. The history is fascinating. What’s less fascinating is the addition of poly fiber to nylon rope a few years ago. Unrelated but still annoying.

Cheers to all,

Well, with few exceptions, you don’t have the same physiology to work around when doing a chest harness. Men are going to.need more length in the shoulder, but won’t have breasts to guide rope around. (There are exceptions, as I said).

You also have to factor in height. Since I am a bit vertically challenged, the men I have practiced with needed to kneel while being tied (not that they minded). 😉

This is a personal pet topic for me. I am fed up hearing that there’s no difference apart from the shape of the body or where the fatty bits are.

It’s much more than just that!

WARNING: I am not a fan of gender stereotypes. I am equally averse to trying to make everything I type totally politically correct and inclusive beyond the point of reasonable effort! The remainder of this post will be generalisations that I have found through tying masculine bodies of all genders as compared to the feminine ones. I use the term “men” to mean anyone self identifying as masculine or a man

The men I have tied have a different mindset in what they want to get out of their rope bondage experience. Whilst many women fell this way also, most men I have encountered need to feel strongly bound, captured, unable to escape with the fact that they are strong is emphasised and deliberately countered. They are less about decorative ties that flatter their physique and more about the functionality of the tie being solid and inescapable. Unless the man is particularly submissive and likes being told to stand still I have found that most want to be physically directed or “made” to assume certain positions. The men I’ve tied have been less extrovert and less exhibitionist and so the majority of them I have ended up tying with in small settings rather than big clubs. I rarely photograph the men I tie at their request.

It is always worth remembering that it is often much less socially acceptable for a man to appear publicly in bondage compared to a woman. Even within the kink scene there’s a misconception that all men who are sub like to be humiliated or made to look weak. Quite a few I know love the fact that their bondage makes them appear stronger and more masculine. Quite often masculine rope bottoms are not submissive (also true of a lot of feminine ones too). BUT if you find yourself with a masculine submissive who craves objectification and humiliation you’re going to have to take that into account.

Chest ties. Giving a masculine type “moobs” is not going to win you any prizes. Decorative chest ties look great on feminine bodies. Sticking with clean lines emphasises the masculine one. Muscular men are going to have issues with flexibility as the trade off for bigger muscle bulk is less range of motion. Getting to know chest ties with arms in front of the body will be essential for working with larger framed men.

Hips. Lovely wide hips on feminine body make hip harnesses dead easy. Much more care is needed on a masculine body as the hip to waist ratio can be wildly different and the “loose” hip rope that works for a woman could just slip and fail on a man. Women get a bit more padding on the hips from mother nature too, so some guys just won’t be able to tolerate a hip harness at all.

Weight is a factor. That is not the same as saying men are too heavy to be tied.It just means that you’ll have to consider if given your man’s body shape and weight is it safe for you to do partial or full suspension? Can you manage their weight in an accidental fall or slip? How are you going to make it safer? I happily tie with someone almost 1.5 times my bodyweight and have suspended him, but I have to approach it with a different view of the physics than I do for my 0.6 times my bodyweight female bunny.

I agree, wholeheartedly. We refer to Riggers as riggers or rope tops, we still use the term rope bottom adding “and models”. There are still males here that have no issue with the word bottom because in their minds, they are ON the bottom while the rigger is on Top.

Without jacking your thread – I hear you, I understand the lack of males as models/rope bottoms; I’m hoping that with time and increased visibility, the interest to be tied will increase. Our own rope scene up here is quite small and a bit behind everyone else in the US but, there are enough smaller camps working with and indepedently of each other; that we are working towards a change.

I can only encourage you to meet with local riggers and present the idea of creating a rope group with the intent of working with males as bottoms for scenes & practice. See how many would be interested and build your foundation from there.

As for the issue if flexibility, at 38, I feel the need to take yoga and work on increasing my bend – at my age and going forward; I’m not nearly as flexible physically as I was in my 20’s. Given what I seek to achieve, it’s a requirement.

FIRST, VERY FIRST ITEM, BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE – purchase a set of EMT Sheers.

Those scissors that can cut a penny in half. You can find them in any Pharmacy. Keep them close and handy. If you sense discomfort at all, USE THEM and get your model loose. Remember, a cut rope can be replaced. Nerve damage can be forever.

Watch where you put the ropes and how tightly. STAY AWAY FROM THE NECK, UNDER ARMS, INSIDE THE CROTCH. Touch your models finger tips, toes etc. Check skin warmth and color often. KEEP IN CONTACT VERBALLY.

A good rule, if you ask “Is everything OK?” and the answer is “I’ll be alright”, that means there is something wrong that your model is trying to tough out. If your models answer indicates distress, stop and find out where the discomfort is and FIX IT or STOP.

Remember, this can be very dangerous and it should be treated with the proper respect and forthought.

OK, my Rope Safety PSA is done.
Now, on to the fun.

My first rope was from Lowes and it is still my basic choice for all work. I now own several hundred feet of this stuff:
Lehigh 3/8-in x 50-ft White Twisted Nylon Rope
Item #: 349205 | Model #: 071514002842

Twisted nylon is soft enough for virgin skin and very flexible.

Then I’d suggest looking on YouTube for Two Knotty Boys demo of the DragonFly Sleeve

Google “The Dragonfly Sleeve by TKB – YouTube”

Also, check the ‘Stickies’ at the top of the group for more info.

Have fun.