Bondage - Rope, Scarves & Tape

This Sexploratorium collection includes bondage tape, fabric scarves, and rope for Shibari style bondage, fashion and sex! Like a serpent extending around the curves of the body, soft restraining cords allow maximum flexibility and ease of use for virtually any body.

Most bondage tapes and wraps are flexible and require no knotting skills, but we often get questions about rope bondage and Shibari. Related to shibari and rope tying skills are sash bondage techniques which are done with wider, more comfortable fabric sashes.

About rope: The standard rope diameter included in the Sexploratorium Rope and Tape collection for tying and body harnesses, etc. is 6mm fiber or 3⁄8 “, although some prefer larger (more comfortable but more difficult to tie) diameters and some prefer smaller (less comfortable and more torturous) diameters. Smaller diameters, including paracord are also handy for face bondage, hand bondage, genital bondage and other "micro bondage" activities.

Pre-cut bundle or "hank" lengths are generally 30 or 50 feet, which is suitable for basic body harnesses with relative ease of use. For those who require more than 30-50 feet, often the end of one rope is tied to the start of another rope to create increased length. 15-foot lengths are suitable for wrists, but for most bondage applications, multiple wraps are preferred over shorter lengths. 

Rope Materials:

• Cotton: All cotton woven cloth with cotton blend core is the most popular rope we sell. Comfortable and colorful. 
• Nylon or MFP: Waterproof, machine washable and available in many super colorful colors. Extraordinarily strong, comfortable and non-abrasive once tied; non-allergenic but can be difficult to hold knots, resulting in “slipping”
• Hemp: Natural fiber, quite abrasive in its natural state and generally conditioned rope is relatively comfortable, holds knots easily but can stain or break down/dry out from age or cleaning. Pre-treated/softened for bondage use; must be conditioned with vegetable oil to counteract cleaning or age.
• Jute: Natural fiber, quite abrasive in its natural state and generally treated/softened for bondage use; Stronger/rougher than hemp unless hand spun; must be conditioned with vegetable oil.
• Bamboo: Softer and renewable natural fiber that can be dyed in bright or muted hues. Conditioned rope is relatively comfortable, holds knots easily. Beautifully bright colors more common than with other natural fibers Can stain or break down/dry out from cleaning or lack of conditioning, not weight rated
• POSH: is a soft synthetic jute made with multiple threads that are weight rated, waterproof and colorfast. This rope has become our most popular for Shibari and Kinbaku enthusiasts as well as those creating macrame inspired body harnesses and cosplay pieces. Affordable, strong and washable this rope holds knots and holds weight in any weather or environment.
  

Rope Finishing: Rope finishing is useful to know about, especially when we have bulk rope for sale by the foot. Finishing the ends prevents the rope from fraying and gives people participating in bondage more control of the ropework and sensation. 

Conditioning: Especially important for natural fibers to prevent splitting and breakage of dried out or brittle threads, oiling your natural fiber rope, especially after cleaning is an important part of equipment maintenance.

Knotting or Whipping are the two most popular ways to finish the ends of rope, especially natural fiber rope (because it cannot be melted). By far the quickest way to finish a rope is putting a tight overhand knot in the end and trim the excess.

Whipping rope involves wrapping the rope in thread, often embroidery floss to keep the end from fraying. Less popular, but still functional are the taping (wrapping electrical tape around the ends before cutting) and tool dip methods. Nylon ropes can be finished using the burn method, essentially melting the rope with a lighter at the point you wish to cut it, and then cutting it. Our pre-cut rope is finished by one of the above methods, depending on the rope. The only finishing we do is burning of rope by the foot (nylon/synthetic).

Remember Safety equipment: (scissors, cutters) can allow for quick release and disaster prevention when using rope and other inexpensive bondage equipment (tape, wrap, etc) so make sure to prepare for emergencies so you can reduce risks and focus on pleasure.

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