Flogger design help

[temp256]

I'm making a new flogger: my first out of high quality suede. I'm not really sure how many falls to make. Right now I have twelve 1"x22" falls. From a couple websites I checked, it looks like most have 1/2" falls. Should I split them in half, or add more leather overall?

The handle is rather long, and very heavy if it makes any difference.

Here's the handle:
http://i56.tinypic.com/2mi3k06.jpg
http://postimage.org/image/rd3flkis/
http://imageupload.org/?d=4DC0C0581
(One of these links should work.)

 

[Stella_Omega]

Stupid imageshack deleted your pic.

One inch is pretty wide. It's nearly wide enough to be a slapper-- i might make tails that wide if the leather were heavy bullhide or something. For suede, I think the leather might be too light to make much of an impact at that width. You actually run into wind resistance problems...

 

[temp256]

I re-uploaded. So, should I bisect the falls? It's easy enough to do at this point. I'm not really sure what kind of sensation to go for. I'm making it for someone, but she doesn't want to give me any specifications for some reason.

 

[Stella_Omega]

I re-uploaded. So, should I bisect the falls? It's easy enough to do at this point. I'm not really sure what kind of sensation to go for. I'm making it for someone, but she doesn't want to give me any specifications for some reason.

I think I would, yeah. Even with a long heavy handle, you'll probably get more swoosh and flutter than impact.

That's a hella handle!

 

[Sir_Winston54]

That is indeed a very nice flogger handle.

As Stella said, 1" wide falls in suede will give pretty substantial wind resistance, as well as having a tendency to spread out (and slow down) and decrease the impact, whether you're going for sting or thud. I would think 1/2" would be better, and think also that 18-20 total falls in that width would probably be enough unless you're going for a more thuddy feel (which is going to be a bit hard to accomplish with suede, no matter how many falls, lol!).

ETA: You mention that the handle is very heavy. Remember in your design to fit the weight of the flogger to the wielder's wrist strength. Heavy heavy floggers tend to tire out smaller/weaker wrists in a hurry, which leads to shorter sessions, poorer aim, and potential carpal tunnel syndrome.

Good luck... post some pics of the finished product, please!

 

[JustaSCOUNDREL]

I just checked out one of 2 suede floggers I have. It had 50 1/2" wide blades or falls. They are 22" long, the leather is about 1/16" thick.

Slave describes the impact as softly thuddy. The leather is thin and soft enough so a bit of wrist action can add some very nice sting.

In my experience soft suede will only gives a generally thuddy feeling. All of my floggers that sting are soft but polished leather or have very narrow and stiff blades.

In case you are interested I have a very nasty one I got from "Snake Pit Leather Works." It is called Boris. Frankly it scares the hell out of me. It's made from Russian Boar Skin cut about 1/8" square. The leather is stiffer then a life sentence.

The only other comment I would make is the handle looks loke it could get slippery if you are sweating. I know my hands do. I was thinking about some rawhide wet and stretched then wrapped around the indentations and allowed to sry and shrink and tighten. Maybe not as pretty but perhaps a better grip.

Since I am not a leather worker I may be talking out my ass so take it for what you think it is worth.

Mike

 

[temp256]

Alright, I'll go with 24 1/2" falls. The buyer felt the unfinished block of wood, and didn't object to the weight. I'm certainly not going to change it now anyway. It's very smooth, but I gave it large grips. Also, she asked for the sphere on the end so she could hold it like a doorknob and let it turn in her hand.

I'm giving her a pretty huge discount, so I'm not terribly concerned. I'm going to ask her to help find me a girlfriend as part of the payment.

 

[Stella_Omega]

I really don't think that handle is going to slide out of anyone's grip, with the way you've shaped it.

Of course my first thought when I see something like that is-- it's insertable! Pervertable!

Especially if you give it a couple coats of water-based poly.

Is it zebrawood?

 

[chy_girl]

I really don't think that handle is going to slide out of anyone's grip, with the way you've shaped it.

Of course my first thought when I see something like that is-- it's insertable! Pervertable!

Especially if you give it a couple coats of water-based poly.

Is it zebrawood?

LOL - kinky minds think alike...

In no way am I a toy maker, but one thing I've noticed is that if you get enough falls - even wide ones - you can definitely make an impact. And depending on how the tips are shaped, you can get the double duty of sting and thuddy out of the same flogger depending on how it lands on the bottom. Tipping with a flogger full of falls that end in a point can be a bitch - especially after they're broken in a bit.

I've also noticed that thuddy enough to knock the wind out of the bottom and send vibrations through the floor well enough for onlookers to feel tends to earn the toy a well known reputation.

 

[temp256]

It's verawood. It's a very oily wood, which happens to make it naturally waterproof. In fact, I didn't even need to coat it with anything. I finished it with its own oils to a glossy polish, though you would never believe it by looking at it.

This one wasn't designed to be insertable due to the sphere, though it still could be if you can handle the large initial diameter. My past floggers were decidedly phallic however.

I bisected the falls, and it now has a completely different feel. I like it. 24 falls happen to fit perfectly in the 1" hole I drilled, too.

 

[bhndblueyes88]

I think that it looks awesome so far and I am generally jealously impressed by your crafting abilities!!

 

[switchbitch]

It's verawood. It's a very oily wood, which happens to make it naturally waterproof. In fact, I didn't even need to coat it with anything. I finished it with its own oils to a glossy polish, though you would never believe it by looking at it.

This one wasn't designed to be insertable due to the sphere, though it still could be if you can handle the large initial diameter. My past floggers were decidedly phallic however.

I bisected the falls, and it now has a completely different feel. I like it. 24 falls happen to fit perfectly in the 1" hole I drilled, too.

hi,
Stella's suggestion that you coat it is a good one as in some (although admittedly rare) cases the dense waxy oil in verawood can cause skin irritation and mild toxic shock. Although one of its more delightful properties is that it cleans well and easily, the chance that you could irritate the sensitive tissue isn't a good one.
At higher than normal room temperature the waxy oil is more likely to cause toxic reactionand as we all know most of the delightful places you are likely to insert it generally are higher than room temperature.

 

[switchbitch]

I just checked out one of 2 suede floggers I have. It had 50 1/2" wide blades or falls. They are 22" long, the leather is about 1/16" thick.

Slave describes the impact as softly thuddy. The leather is thin and soft enough so a bit of wrist action can add some very nice sting.

In my experience soft suede will only gives a generally thuddy feeling. All of my floggers that sting are soft but polished leather or have very narrow and stiff blades.

In case you are interested I have a very nasty one I got from "Snake Pit Leather Works." It is called Boris. Frankly it scares the hell out of me. It's made from Russian Boar Skin cut about 1/8" square. The leather is stiffer then a life sentence.

The only other comment I would make is the handle looks loke it could get slippery if you are sweating. I know my hands do. I was thinking about some rawhide wet and stretched then wrapped around the indentations and allowed to sry and shrink and tighten. Maybe not as pretty but perhaps a better grip.

Since I am not a leather worker I may be talking out my ass so take it for what you think it is worth.

Mike

soft suede can feel wonderful, but if you want to stiffen it for a sharper sting soak the last 4 inches of the falls in white vinegar overnight and hang in bright sunshine to dry, it tightens the collagen fibres and hardens the leather.(hmmm yummy but then I am a painslut)

 

[temp256]

The buyer is allergic to many things, so I had her test for reactions with a scrap piece, and the wood isn't at all known for toxicity like some species. I would definitely be more careful if it were actually meant to be inserted.

 

[Stella_Omega]

I know the wood as "Lignum Vitae" and it's well known for that oiliness. I've used it once in a while for insertables by request

It's just about impossible to coat it with anything!

Will you share a pic of the finished flogger pretty please?

 

[temp256]

It's not lignum vitae. Verawood is often misrepresented as lignum vitae, but the two aren't even from the same genus. Real lignum vitae is endangered and very difficult to get, so the industry started selling a wood with similar properties under the same name, and profiting off the confusion.

The only thing left to do is glue the leather in place, so I'll take pictures then.

 

[temp256]

Here it is:
http://postimage.org/image/ri0ord38/
Sorry about the bad picture, but I only have a single light source aside from the flash.

The leather fits so perfectly I didn't even bother to glue it, though I might later. I'll let you know how it feels when I get a chance to test it.

 

[bhndblueyes88]

That looks amazing!! You should be very proud of your skills!

 

[BiBunny]

That looks amazing!! You should be very proud of your skills!

Agreed.

How heavy is the suede, temp256? Just curious.

 

[temp256]

It says "3/4 OZ", but this doesn't make sense. Maybe it means 3 or 4 ounce. I measured it with a micrometer at 0.025", but the micrometer compressed it somewhat.

 

[JustaSCOUNDREL]

It says "3/4 OZ", but this doesn't make sense. Maybe it means 3 or 4 ounce. I measured it with a micrometer at 0.025", but the micrometer compressed it somewhat.

I did some googling on leather weight (the way it is sold) vs. thickness(The way we think about it)

Here is a link: http://www.buckskinleather.com/ref.htm

Looking for 3/4oz. leather I got a bunch of answers about 3-4oz. leather so I think that is what you have.

Leather weight is determined by the weight of 1 sq. ft. at a known thickness. So 1 sq. ft. of your leather should weigh 3-4oz.

I hope this is helpful in your future endeavors.

You have made a very pretty flogger. I am impressed.

Mike

 

[JustaSCOUNDREL]

Double post.

 

[JustaSCOUNDREL]

Sorry. Triple Post. Lit is kicking my ass tonight.

 

[Stella_Omega]

Here it is:
http://postimage.org/image/ri0ord38/
Sorry about the bad picture, but I only have a single light source aside from the flash.

The leather fits so perfectly I didn't even bother to glue it, though I might later. I'll let you know how it feels when I get a chance to test it.

Do glue it-- there is no feeling quite like the one when you swing your flogger and watch the tails all fly away!

It is beeeyootiful.

 

[switchbitch]

Here it is:
http://postimage.org/image/ri0ord38/
Sorry about the bad picture, but I only have a single light source aside from the flash.

The leather fits so perfectly I didn't even bother to glue it, though I might later. I'll let you know how it feels when I get a chance to test it.

that is beautiful it just made me want to bend over. Chuckle