Nipple clamps and clothespins
articles and tutorials Theory and practice of BDSM Bondage toys and devices
Nipples are an intensely sensitive and erogenous part of the female anatomy, so of course they're a prime target for a little teasing and torment. People vary enormously in their ability to deal with nipple clamps, and even the same person can change from day-to-day depending on how they feel. Some find them the last word in erotic stimulation while to others they're just a pointless and painful 'Ouch!'. Nipple clamps can be purpose made (like the ones in the picture) or improvised from everyday things like clothes-pins. Unless you've played with a submissive before and know her tolerance for such things, its best to go slowly. Explain what you intend to do, and reassure her that if it hurts too much you will remove them straight away. Pinch her nipples with your fingers first and watch her reaction. If she doesn't hit the floor running, stroke her nipples until they are erect and gently attach one of the nipple clamps. Don't attach it to the very tip of the nipple, which is extremely painful, but place it lower down and nearer the skin. If that goes well, attach the other one. If its her first time then probably just a few minutes is enough, certainly no longer than 15 minutes. Its a good idea to stroke her intimately while the clamps are on as a reward and to encourage an association of pleasure with the sensation of the clamped nipples. When its time to take them off unclamp them slowly, one at a time. If its a success you can experiment with longer periods another time.
Nipple Clamps and Toys — My nipples are more sensitive than the soul of the most existential, angst-ridden acoustic folk guitarist on the planet, hence I really cannot handle nipple clamps for extended wear. Because I am an eternally braless hippie, not a day goes by that my boobs don’t announce “Turkey’s done!” to anyone within eyeshot.
Weirdly, when I’ve been in love and my lover has busted out the clamps for use on me, I’ve enjoyed them. This is going to sound cheesy, but when you really fall for someone, it’s easier to take more pain and truly get off on it. Why? Because you love them! Simple enough. But that’s all I’m gonna say about love. This book is not about finding love, keeping love, or marrying a love. It’s not The Rules but rather all about breaking the rules—being a bad girl or boy, getting kinky, and clamping things onto your tits or pectorals or the tits and pectorals of others.
As with the other “toys,” there is a mind-boggling array out there and not all of them are “clamps.” Some are gentler, such as battery-operated nipple vibrators and “nipple suckers,” which are soft, pliable little suction cups you can place on your teats to make them more sensitive. In terms of clamps, my wonderful group of perv friends all agreed that broad tip adjustable nipple clamps (that have the little screws) are the best, offering just the right amount of pinch and not too much pain. You can always add little weights if it’s just not enough. They also agreed “alligator clamps” are by far the most painful because they have “teeth” like tiny gators.
Of course, you don’t have to go out and buy fancy-pants nipple clamps. I once had a client use metal binder clips from Staples on my boobs. A twelve-pack is only $3.99. Better yet, steal them from the office and stick it to The Man! Now let’s move on to a similar device—clothespins. They have so many uses, they almost deserve their own goddamned chapter.
Clothespins — are generally thought of as fasteners used to hang clothing from a clothesline, but gaffers, grips, electricians, and production assistants also use them to hang shit on film sets. But that’s not all! Clothespins are also the poor man’s answer to the nipple clamp.
As somebody who (as explained earlier) has a low tolerance for pain regarding nipple play, I can offer one bit of advice to subs who want to please their nipple-torture-happy partners: Wooden clothespins hurt a hell of a lot more than plastic ones. Not sure what mechanics are behind this, but it’s true. I would rather ten plastic clothespins on my teats than one wooden one.
Moving along, clothespins aren’t just for nipples. They can be placed pretty much anywhere you find loose flesh. One of the most painful sensations I’ve ever experienced was a wooden clothespin on the clit. (Not recommended!) But on the labia, clothespins feels kind of nice, almost like having balls.
They’re also commonly used in cock and ball torture (which we’ll get into later). You can fit a surprising amount of them on a penis and a set of testes. And, much like spanking, clothespins provide an economical kink.
Always note that the less skin you capture within the clothespins, the more painful the experience is going to be. Larger amounts of skin in the clamps is less painful. And when you do take them off, do it slowly. Having once had a clothespin ripped off my clit at warp speed, I am very serious about this last point.
For example ...
A Japanese businessman who Annie and I used to see together invented one of my favorite S&M clothespin-related games. The three of us had rented a dungeon space for this particular session because Annie had a houseguest staying at the Chelsea who likely would not have appreciated our game.
Anyway, this gentleman led Annie and me to the doorway, which led to the “library,” which was actually a fake library because it was filled with whips and chains and books—which no one ever read—and was much like the fake schoolroom I used in other sessions. He put wrist and ankle cuffs on Annie and attached her wrists to eyehooks at the top of the doorway. Her ankles, he attached to hooks at the bottom of the doorway.
“This is my favorite position,” Annie giggled.
Producing two wooden clothespins, he attached them to the skin just above her armpits. He then took two plastic clothespins with little silver weights on the ends of them and attached them to her labia. As mentioned above, while this sounds painful, it is not. However any type of clamp, clip, or weight on the clit is excruciating.
Annie looked down at the weights and said, “So, this is what it’s like to have balls.” (Though let’s be honest, Annie had “balls.”)
He then took out a set of nipple clamps and attached them to her nipples.
“Okay,” he said, turning to me. “Now we are going to play a game. I’m going to blindfold you, and you are going to remove these with your mouth.” He gestured to the clothespins, “Start here and work your way down.”
He slipped the blindfold over my eyes. Moving my tongue gently across her body, I found the first clothespin. It reminded me of the game Operation, and I thought about how greed is the central theme of all games. A friend of mine once pointed out that most children’s games can be summed up as, “You get all your things, you put ’em in your thing, and then you win!”
Yet Another Thing You Can Do with Clothespins
The same Japanese businessman I spoke of did another session with Annie and me where clothespins served a different purpose. (If this book were a yoga class, this would be an “advanced” exercise, so please don’t try at home till you have more experience. This should give you a good idea of the scope of possibilities clothespins, ingenuity, and a couple of mousetraps can provide.)
I was about to be “tortured” for some imaginary transgression and was lying prone on a small, leather table, which they scooted under a doorway whereupon they cuffed my wrists and ankles to the table’s shackles. Annie then unexpectedly pulled two mousetraps out of her bag of tricks. These she clamped to my nipples. She then tied the mousetraps together using a long piece of yellow string, which she tied to an eyehook at the top of the doorway. This made the mousetraps stand erect so that anytime anyone so much as grazed the string, it sent waves of pain through my upper body.
Stranger still, Annie pulled out two plastic, yellow, monkey-shaped clothespins. These she attached to my labia, which didn’t hurt at all. It was actually quite pleasant, but then she tied the little monkeys together using another piece of yellow string, which she attached to the eyehook at the top of the door.
The businessman then attempted to put wooden clothespins on the flesh above my armpits. This was my limit. After a second, I screamed my safe word
“Mercy!” and he removed them.
Once I was in this position—nipples attached to mousetraps attached to string attached to the top of the door frame, which was also attached to yellow, monkey clothespins attached to my labia—they began to tickle me while bringing me to a big O with a Magic Wand.
And S&M is like a board game with human game pieces. I removed each clamp and clip deftly. If this were an Olympic event, I’d be a gold medalist.
She breathed a sigh of relief each time I removed another piece. When I got down to the final pieces, I let my tongue linger before removing them. I handed him the final piece with my mouth.
Okay, so that’s a lot to digest. If you are with a new partner, only do one or two things at a time, maybe tickling and clothespins. Then slowly work your way up to the potpourri of kinks described.
