Rope Bondage

[coggamer]

My partner and I are contemplating getting into a little light rope bondage and were wondering what sorts of cheap rope we can use as beginners that would be easily accessible to us.

We're wondering if maybe we could use rope from a hardware store (i.e. Home Depot, Lowes) to keep it cheap and get it by the foot for like, $.14. Do any of you folks use ropes from those places? Do they work well?

Looking for some tips for the basic equipment. Thanks.

 

[nh23]

Send a PM to Homburg and ask him. He'll know. I think we use nautical rope, but I wouldn't swear by it. Most of the rope I use Homburg gave to me, it's really soft and feels nice.

 

[Homburg]

My preference, if you are going cheap, is Solid Braid off the spool, nylon/poly blend. Home Depot, Lowes, etc sell acceptable brands. I prefer pure nylon where possible, but the big box stores don't tend to sell much of it these days. Pure nylon is silky soft, and a great intro for first-time rope bunnies. Nylon/poly is an acceptable second.

I personally prefer 1/4" (aka 6mm for the metric folks), though some people like 3/8" better (8mm). I find 1/4" to take knots better.

I would STRONGLY caution against going cheap and buying rope in the bags. It is less per foot, sure, but it is also of lower quality, and you won't be able to tell what sort of blend it is. It is also not always solid braid, even though it says that. Solid braid is just easier to work with. Braid over core is awful stuff, and can be a real bear to dress on the ends, as well as having weird properties with knots and such.

If you want more detailed info, click the link in my sig. It goes to a thread I started on ropework (now sadly neglected and largely empty of pics due to my host going kaput). The first post or two has a link in it to my take on various sorts of rope, some sources, etc, as well as links to tutorials and other info. There are some pics still live int he thread as well, so they might be of some use to you.

 

[coggamer]

Thank you very much!

Thanks so much for the input! I'll be sure to start off with some 10'/20' lengths of these ropes while we learn what exactly we're doing.

What I'm interested in now that I have this information is where to go after this. Can you recommend any resources once we're comfortable with this rope to get a little further in while not getting in too deep too quick? My top priority is that she feels comfortable and not threatened or pressured while we attempt these things, and so I'd like to have references and sources that are just as comfortable and tame as we are as we move on...

Ideas?

 

[Homburg]

I'm a fan of 25-30' lengths, but I use all sorts of lengths in my work. 25-30' just seems to be what I reach for more often.

As to resources, like I said, hit the thread linked in my sig. You'll find all sorts of tutorials and websites, and some thoughts on injury prevention and dealing with pre-existing conditions.

Only you and your partner can decide what is tame and not moving too fast. I would avoid suspension, stress position bondage, and predicament since you are just starting out, but pretty much everything else is fair game. Peruse the links with your partner and see what she finds interesting too.

 

[ammre]

hes got the basic rope stuff covered in terms o kinds of rope to use. i actually started with cotton rope, the bagged stuff, and that was good for my extremely beginner stuff, but once i got an inkling on what to do I found better rope.

One thing I found useful was online videos. Twisted Monk Has some real good instructional videos.

 

[Homburg]

Monk also happens to have some of the finest rope in the business, as well as being a personable chap.