Clothespin Zippers are as much art as they are torture and can be an exhilarating way to explore pleasure and pain. It takes a bit of planning and although the experience ends in a matter of seconds, the moment before the string is pulled, the look in the bottom’s eyes, the artistic design and the sound the zipper makes coming off are worth the preparation and pain.
A clothespin zipper consists of multiple clothespins being attached to the body at one time, organized in a row, and connected to each other by a cord, rope or string. It is an inexpensive way to experience BDSM play as a solo activity or a great way to enhance some fun and control with a partner, and the materials are readily available.
Making a clothespin zipper requires a little preparation up front, here are the steps to make one:
- First, start by selecting, or cuffing a length of chord / string, at least twice the length of the zipper you want to make.
- Next, you will need to tie a series of knots with the correct spacing – double the width of your clothespin;
- if your clothespins have a hole in the spring, thread the string through the centre tying a knot after each one
- if your clothespins don’t have a hole, clip them to the string and tie a knot large enough to catch it – it may require more than one knot doubling over the first
- If you are not sure how far apart to space for knots, stop after the first few and test on the skin between your thumb and forefinger
- In general, a zipper will work with four or more pegs, 6-10 is best.
- When you are satisfied with your chord and number of clothespins, hold it up and make sure none of them slips through the knots or falls off
Now you are ready to play
When you are ready, begin with pulling or pinching an area of skin and feed it into an open clamp or gently loosen a clamp around it. The more skin you can fold into the clamp the less it will hurt and better it will hold. Over time, the area will numb as the blood flow to the area not directly making contact will be restricted. It is common to turn white, turning any other colour and the clamp should be removed. As a guideline, until you have experience and know-how your body and different areas will react, no session should last more than fifteen minutes. Removing them will be an entirely new sensation, as the pain at first subsides and the skin is no longer pinched it will feel cool and relieving, but as the blood returns to the area it will usher in a new form of pain akin to having the clamps reapplied and squeezed harder. Depending on the length of time the clamps were applied, the effects and marks after will be longer and more intense.
- Start placing them on the body by selecting a safe area with ample skin to fold over, hold the end of the string with one hand clasping the clip between that hand’s thumb and forefinger, and pull the skin with the other
- Then press the clothespin to the folded skin and feed the skin into the clothespin, opening it with the freehand only as far as needed to ensure the string doesn’t slip
- Next, follow the crease in the skin from the first clothespin, and stretch it lower down, no more than an inch apart
- When all the clothespins are in place, there’s nothing left to do but take a deep breath, grab the string and pull in a straight line in one direction.
Once you have applied the clamps or clothespins don’t just ignore them, flick them, wiggle them, adjust the pressure: Add in different forms of sensations, run an ice cube around the area without touching the clamps, tickling the pinched edges with a feather, dripping candle wax, rubbing on different essential oils will all heighten the experience and make it memorable.
For a bit of added fun, use a longer rope and add some weight to the end of it, or wrap it around something like a doorknob, step back, slam the door closed pulling off your zipper. Run the extra chord over something high up to get different angles. My favourite is getting the sub to create a pulley system that rips the zipper off when a chord is cut or weight is dropped. It’s my bit, I was making it personal
TRY IT: Make your very own custom zipper for your toy box. Take some time to decorate it and make it personal. Writing a letter on each peg, spelling out words like ‘sorry’ ‘Master/Mistress’ ‘masochist’ can be fun. Make it your own.
TRY IT: Test out your new toy, either by getting creative and making a pulley system or by connecting it to the doorknob and slamming it shut. Post your videos and a photo of your beautiful marks.
An alternate approach to using clothespins, if you have the tools and time, you can also create guide holes in your pegs to make them into a fully adjustable set of clamps with some modifications. It requires buying some bolts and wing nuts and having a drill bit slightly wider than the bolt. Simply drill a hole in each of the legs of the clothespin, thread the bolt through and add two wing nuts in between. Adjusting the nuts will effectively apply continued and increasing amounts of pressure, this should be done gradually and for shorter periods of time with practice. Pay close attention to the skin and body type, some will have an easier time than others, just go slow and work with the areas that hold the pins best and play with sensitive areas with extra caution.
Contributors: This article was researched and written by Mistress Michelle, edited and published by Umlindi.
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