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BDSM Education Clamps

Clamps, Clothespin & Zippers

Playing with Clamps

Clamps are meant to hold things securely through pressure, effectively used in BDSM for pain, make no mistake as beautiful as some applications may be, there will be pain and it requires taking precautions to practice safely. 

The amount of pain will depend on the type of clamps you are using, where it is being applied, and for how long. If you are unsure about how much pain will be applied by a type of clamp, best to test it on a part of the body that is less sensitive first. The fold of skin that connects the thumb to the forefinger is a perfect place to use for testing because there are few nerves to impact, but can be stretched wide enough to apply different size clamps or multiple clamps to judge how painful it will be elsewhere. 

The coils within the spring of the clamp will determine the force applied, and the material the clamp is made from will impact the skin differently. Plastic and metal clamps are less forgiving and tend to leave more lasting marks or possibly abrasions, while wooden pegs and clamps with rubber coating designed for BDSM play are better for longer scenes. Some of the clamps designed for BDSM play will also have adjustable screws that create a space between the teeth. The width can also impact the amount of pain as a wider surface will help distribute the pressure more evenly.

Areas of the body good for applying clamps:

  • Lips
  • Tongue
  • Earlobe
  • Forearm
  • Nipples
  • Labia
  • Scrotum
  • Torso

Areas to avoid applying clamps:

  • Inside forearm at the elbow
  • Behind the knees
  • Areas with exposed tendons (achilles)
  • Throat

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.

What’s the difference between a clamp and a clip and a peg and a pin?

Essentially they all accomplish a similar goal and it is a matter of personal preference and application deciding on the right device.

Clamps are typically designed for BDSM applications, as such are often adjustable to accommodate different body types and parts. They generally have an adjustable mechanism for increasing and decreasing the amount of pressure and/or tension applied. They are normally made of high grade materials like metal and rubber that are easily cleaned and sterilized.

Clips refer to rigid metal fasteners that offer little flexibility, usually designed to hold objects like paper or plastic that are difficult to create friction with. These can be very rigid and should be tested before use on any area of the body. The amount of pressure applied cannot be adjusted, proceed with extreme caution and watch closely for circulation issues.

Clothes(pins) or pegs are the same things, a spring-loaded tool that combines two sections of wood, metal, or plastic to hang things like clothes. These are commonly used as a DIY tool for creating clamps and are readily available in various stores in different sizes and colours.

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.

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.


Contributors: This article was researched and written by Mistress Michelle, edited and published by Umlindi.

These educational topics wouldn’t be possible without the hard work and dedication from our Dom(me)sLife contributors – Thank you MM

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