Canes

Synthetic Canes - from £2.50 each

Synthetic Birches as shown below, £12 each (kit)

First of all, supplying synthetic canes is NOT a business of mine, it is more to do with trying to encourage people to use better equipment and removing the usual objection of price - synthetic canes are normally much dearer than rattan. Not now. If you use the same cane on more than one person - and most especially if you ever draw blood, you need to consider the advantages in having a cane that can be PROPERLY disinfected easily and quickly. For legal reasons - of course - these items are sold for novelty value only.

In case you are interested, the items are purchased from an electronics company as machinable stock. I just happened to spot them and thought I would offer them to folks who might like to play safer - but at a sensible price for once.

Problems with Natural Cane

Bamboo and Rattan canes are in common usage in the UK and overseas both for punishment and for general BDSM use in general.

Bamboo has the advantage in being cheap - but is a far from ideal material. The cane can easily splinter into sharp shards, splinters (and whole lumps) can go flying off and hit nearby objects and people. It is, at best, a material to be used with caution. Binding the cane with tape / fabric / leather can alter the feel of the cane and also make splinters / breakages less likely - and less risky if they DO occur. It is however neither a particularly powerful OR safe toy. Avoid.

Rattan is a much denser material - more thud and more sting, additionally if well looked after can last many years - even if used regularly. They also do not tend to splinter or break - as least anywhere near as much as bamboo.

Both of the natural canes however have a major problem with regard to keeping clean from a hygiene / safety point of view. Both natural products will absorb fluid (including blood product) and be extremely difficult to thoroughly clean afterwards. Although the jury is out with regard to how long HIV will survive outside the body, certainly if blood is drawn with a cane and this is then used on someone else in the same session, risk is most certainly present. Hepatitis is even more insidious, being a health hazard for an extended period of time.

Of course if a cane is only ever used on one person, the health issue is not as important, it is however still better to use a cane that can be clean and ideally will not disintegrate during use.

Synthetics

There is a large variety of plastic suitable for making synthetic canes from, these include Nylon 6, Nylon 66, Delrin and so on. All have different characteristics, but all of them have several definite advantages in common.

1. All of them can withstand being cleaned with boiling water / disinfectant

2. None of them will warp if left damp or "dry-out" if kept in a hot/dry place

3. None of them should shatter in use (Polyester can which is why I will not supply it)

4. All of them are smooth and of a consistent size and density (like for like, same plastic)

The synthetic canes are nominally 1 metre in length (39 inches). The canes can easily be cut down to size if required - or if making a synthetic birch for example. The ends of the cane should be sanded / melted to be as smooth as you require, I can pre-smooth them for you for £1 per cane extra, but you easily do this yourself in about 2 minutes.

The differences between the plastics can be noticeable (especially the density. Nylon 6 is the lightest - but still much denser than bamboo or rattan. Delrin is the densest of all the synthetic canes I have in stock. These canes should be used with caution. Although only a metre (39 inches) long, they are MUCH harder to take than a longer, natural product.

Not all plastics come in all sizes, below is a table showing what canes are usually held in stock. The 15mm and 16mm sizes are for heavy players - or decoration only. 20mm really should be PURELY decoration OR as handles for DIY synthetic birches.

To make a fully synthetic birch, buy one 16mm or 20mm rod and several 6mm / 10mm canes. Cut 6mm and 10mm canes in half and bind/glue to the end of a full or half length 20mm rod. A mixture of sizes / materials will make a very challenging implement - which will not break or dry out - and can be disinfected between play partners.

A "birch kit" is also sold, which contains the following at a discount. If you wish to have an all black or all white birch, or wish to use different materials, please order the items individually. The kit as shown will produce a 6 "twig" birch which will be virtually indestructible. The three "2 x 0.5M lengths" may be supplied as three 90cm - 1m lengths for you to cut to size.

1 x 0.5 Metre Delrin 16mm for use as handle and shaft

2 x 0.5 Metre 6mm nylon 66

2 x 0.5 Metre 10mm nylon 66

2 x 0.5 Metre 6mm Delrin white

There are no bindings and adhesives in the kit, but this is not a difficult thing to source at your local hardware store. Assembly should take about 15 minutes to an hour depending on the bindings / adhesvies used.

VERY strong results have been obtained by "tacking" the rods into the desired position with dots of hot-melt glue - and then when happy with the positioning, the joint is flooded with hot melt and allowed to cool. Then tightly bind the joint with either self-amalgamating tape, insulation tape or any other kind of binding that you choose. Providing you allow at least 6cm for the overlap of the rods to the shaft, the joint should prove extremely durable.

The synthetic birch kit is an intimidating device - but it is only fair to say it handles quite differently from a birch as although the thinner elements/rods are quite whippy, they do not taper away to nothing as the natural version. This is mentioned in case you are familiar with a traditional birch and require something to look/feel/handle the same.

What you may find useful is to purchase locally a few metres of inexpensive THIN white cables - eg: 1 or 2 metres of bell flex, 1 or 2 metres of phone cable, 1 or 2 metres of "figure 8 twin core" and have these mixed in with the canes. This will "round off" the sensations of having thin whippy material as well as some thud from the canes.

ALL of these plastics are MUCH denser than natural

material. As such they will sting more and thud more.

Relative Density guide, Water = 1g / cm3

Natural cane = 0.30 - 0.5 g / cm3 (less than water, which is why it floats)

Nylon = 1.14 - 1.16

Delrin = 1.42 - upto 4+ times density of natural material

Nylon 6 & 66 = Harsh

Delrin = Extreme

1 Metre Length - 39"	6 mm	8 mm	10 mm	12 mm	15 mm	16 mm	20 mm
Nylon 6 - Black			£ 5	£ 7.50			£ 18
Nylon 66 - White	£ 3.00	£4.50	£ 5		£ 8.50	£ 9.50	£ 16
Delrin White	£ 3.00	£ 4.50		£ 7.50		£ 11.50	£ 18
Delrin Black	£ 3.50 (6.35mm)	£ 5		£ 8 (12.7mm)		£ 12	£ 18

Synth Birch kit 1 - 6 rods as shown at top of page	£ 16
Synth Birch kit 2 - 8 rods (as kit 1, but all 6mm rods - much springier)	£ 17
Synth Birch kit 3 - 8 rods (as kit 1, plus two x 50cm of delrin 12mm)	£ 22
Synth Birch kit 4* - 8 rods (as kit 2 but makes a 48" birch)	£ 31

* Birch kit 4 is considerably dearer than the others because it uses no fewer than nine full length rods and the off-cuts are too short to be of other use. HOWEVER this kit will make a birch 48" long, complete with a two inch overlap of elements to handle. This is an EXTREME implement and only recomended for VERY heavy players OR for display purposes only. As a no cost option, all nine rods will be delievered complete (allowing in theory) for a birch of upto 76 inches to be made. if you wish this PLEASE state clearly when ordering, otherwise you may find the rods have been cut to size already for you.

No minimum order for collection in person - but for posting, minimum order of £10 + carriage please

(You can of course purchase whole canes to make birches of any combination of diamter / material and colour)

Group / Bulk buys

Three or more IDENTICAL canes, deduct 10% from their price

Five or more IDENTICAL canes, deduct 15% from their price

Ten or more IDENTICAL canes, deduct 20% from their price

if the order totals over £150, you also get free insured UK delivery

or half price insured overseas delivery

No Vat

Ordering conditions

1. Email me first, confirm you are over 18 and novelty use only

2. Select cane(s) you require and add £7.00* carriage in total

(Europe overseas (from UK) add a total of £12 for carriage)

3. Send cash (registered post) or cheque to address given you

4. Delivery in 7-14 days, sooner if I have them in stock.

If you are local, I might agree to collection if it is convenient

for me too. Remember this is a service, NOT my business.

* £8.50 postage is for INSURED delivery. If you write on the order you just want

standard post, it is £7 - but no moaning if the postman nicks it

Although sent well wrapped, you are still going to get a

long "rod shaped" package arrive at your door. To help a little

I will plonk a "fake logo" about "fishing rod stock".

Sorry that the cost of postage has increased (first time in five years) but I can no longer

keep subsidising increasing costs. If you are local to me then you are more than welcome

to make contact with a view to simply collecting them - at which point there is no minimum

order and of course no postage and packaging charge at all.