The ICE in self bondage

You may be wondering where the ICE in ICE Bondage comes from...

It's specifically do with the timed release mechanisms which are commonly used in many self bondage scenarios, I say timed in the loosest sense of the word, as who can tell exactly how long it will take for any given lump of ice to melt! I've seen the same amount of ice take an hour or more extra depending on factors such as the minor fluctuation of room temperature or a slight breeze being present!

In this section, I'll outline some of the common release mechanisms driven by the ubiquitous ice, and why ice is such a good thing to use!

A quick note here... All of the methods on this site (So far) assume you're using handcuffs / chains / pad / combination locks for the bondage. Personally I think Rope is only something to use when you've a partner on hand! As such this page details with RELEASE METHODS, I'll leave the issue of your actual bondage to your imagination.

Specifically this page deals with ice, for en electrical solution, see {Accurately timed Self Bondage}

The Stocking, Ice and Ring method.
Get a smooth ring, try not to use a key ring, as these aren't solid and may become stuck, leading you to being stuck... I find the easiest way to get a solid metal ring is to buy a very short choke chain from a pet store and cut off (For this example) all but a small length of chain. Attach your key ring and the keys for your ultimate release to the chain on the other end of the solid metal ring.

Obtain a stocking, or one leg from a pair of tights / pantyhose, fill the toe section with some ice (The more ice, the longer you'll be imprisoned!), slide the metal ring over and outside the stocking until it encounters the ice and becomes stuck (Beginning to form a picture now?)... Next tie the stocking up somewhere quite high, for example to a static object on top of a bookshelf, wardrobe, or if you're lucky enough to have them a ceiling suspension eye-bolt.

Now the release mechanism is complete, until the ice melts your keys are strictly off limits! When the ice melts the ring will be free to fall to the floor.

IMPORTANT

Ice melts at different rates depending on the individual environmental conditions of the location, and the time can vary dramatically, please keep this in mind and be safe!
A variation on this is when you tie some string to the keys, the other end to somewhere above where you'll be chained up, so that when the ice melts the keys swing down to your waiting hands and you'll be free. This modification means that you can place a container under the dripping stocking to catch the water, so you don't end up with a wet floor; this also means that the keys will be obtainable instead of bouncing off under some furniture!

Remember to test where the keys will fall BEFORE you click the locks shut!!

There are a few things to keep in mind when you want a much longer ice-goverened scenario:

* Use more ice, in time terms, more ice = longer bondage. Keep in mind that ice tends to melt into one big lump before completely defrosting, which means it takes longer for two cubes to melt when together than two cubes on their own. For a scenario lasting upwards of four hours, I'd use perhaps 14 "normal" sized ice cubes.

* You can double the stocking (i.e. one inside the other) to delay the melting action even more. Doubling the stocking adds some insulation. Use thicker stockings, 30 denier upwards.

* Make the room colder, as I'm generally naked (Ahem!) during the sessions I tend to keep the room quite warm at about 25 Centigrade, however a little cooler won't kill you, and will make things slower. As always though, keep safety in mind and think that you're probably not going to be able to move to keep warm!

[Locked Combination Lock]As with all self bondage release mechanisms, it's best to use a backup system, the one which I favour has two main parts, these being a combination lock which when unlocked will allow you enough mobility to manually retrieve the keys to free yourself completely, now the trick with combination locks is to have the ones you can't unlock in the dark, and of course of this you have to be bound in the dark!

The ultimate safety trick with the combination locks is to have three methods of lighting it up, I personally use two mains electrical lights, both on timers, and in case of power failure you can also use the Sun, I don't think it'll go out quite yet. Beware though, no system is fool-proof, for example that could fail if there is a storm in the area, your electrics trip (Meaning unless someone goes to YOUR fuse cupboard and turns them on again, you have no power), and on top of that the storm makes the sunlight so poor that you don't get enough light to undo the combination lock with until it's dawn again. I think in the worst case instance where things would go badly wrong, you could perhaps be stuck for 48 hours, and who knows the wetting which would occur after some time might even turn you on a little! If you think that the backup methods turn you off a little, think of it this way... If the ice melted in two hours, as you thought it would, but something went wrong (Keys catching on the stocking etc...), you would of course of set the first light timer for 4 hours, and the second (If the first failed), for six hours, making for a much longer session.

The stocking method is, in my limited experience very reliable, so long as you follow the safety precautions, such as weighting the keys down a little, think, how much does a single handcuff key weigh? It may not be enough weight to pull the ring past the melting ice, or propel it in your direction. Use a smooth ring, I can't stress this enough, key rings may become stuck on the stocking material quite easily!

Backup Backup Backup, always have a backup method of release... I'll be listing some other common backup methods in another section, hopefully with some photos...

The Key in Ice Method

The most simple method of ice bondage is to simply freeze the key in a block of ice, the larger the block of ice, the longer you'll be in your self imposed bondage! There are several options which you might like to consider when using this method.

Where will you put the block - this will determine how fast it will melt. Make sure you can get the key when it melts!

A few things to consider:

Where will the water end up? You don't want an electrical fire on your hands when chained up. Want the water dripping on you for some added torture (Be careful with that, you may end up with ice burns).

The location again is an issue - if you had it on the ground, you might cheat and warm it up somehow, this would subtract some of the essential fun out of the bondage scenario.

The Key in the Frozen Bottle Method

Key in the bottle! Dangle the key(s) on the end of a chain inside a bottle (The bottle size will determine how long you're bound up!). Fill the bottle with water and freeze.... Easy enough - you can chain the bottle to something to add some spice also. Make sure the chain and key can, when the ice has melted) slide freely out of the bottle. More importantly, make sure you can reach the chain!

Ice Padlocks

Ice Padlocks are a popular method for self bondage, and depending on how you do it, it can actually be a key-less bondage session, i.e. the ice has to melt and you're free, no fumbling with the key.

It is absurdly simple. Take a bottle, smallish ones work the best. There are two main variations on this ice padlock theme - the first is to use two bootlaces (Not tied together) which are dangled in the bottle with loops from them hanging outside - the bottle is then filled with water so the laces soak, then frozen.

An important point with this method is DON'T use glass bottles, they can shatter, you really don't want to clean up that!.

The second variant on the same theme is to dangle a chain in the bottle, and freeze etc. I find a medium length choke chain from a pet store is ideal for this as it has two nice solid rings at either end which you can easily tie / lock other things to.

With the chain method I generally find a bottle with a wide neck - it would be most embarrassing if your chain became knotted inside the bottle and you couldn't pull it all the way out to free yourself. Remember, in any self bondage situation you may not have your full strength at your disposal, or nice things like leverage due to the other bonds you may be "wearing" at the time. Also remember that your arms / hands / fingers may, depending on your position, or perhaps immediate environment, go numb and be quite useless.

The Frozen Chain / String / Rope Method

The next ice method is where you freeze the chain / rope / key string in ice, simple enough - until the ice melts, you can't get the key. This may be done via several methods - you curl up a string, set it in the ice, therefore making it a lot shorter than it would normally be, so when hung up with a key on the other end, the key will drop to where you can reach it when the ice melts. This works equally well with chain or rope, but remember that any of these can potentially knot in ways which you wouldn't have imagined, resulting in you being stuck... Don't forget to add an additional weight to the key, or it may not fall correctly... Backup Backup Backup!

A Word Of Warning

A Word of warning when it comes to any scene which involves going outside of the confines of your own property to retrieve a key. Leaving your own property not in a position to defend yourself should you be attacked is an extremely dangerous thing to do, and should not be attempted. There have been people who have done this tailed by a partner, whilst this brings some safety to the situation, it is still not advised.

The Long Crawl

This is probably one of the oldest methods out there, it was a part of my first ever scene, but it is not without risks.

The basic premise behind this one is that you're bound hand and foot in one room, having to crawl to the keys / release a few rooms away. Variations include making the key harder to get at... rolled up in some pantyhose covered by tape in a locked box in the room where you start, the key to the box is three rooms away, and you can hardly move!

Things to consider if you're thinking of this are:

* Make sure the doors between you and your release can't close.
* Have at least two backup methods of getting free.
* Don't block your airways (i.e DO NOT USE A GAG - less exciting I know, but you won't die from it!)
* If you're using handcuffs behind your back, DOUBLE LOCK THEM, loss of blood supply isn't nice. (I know this from experience!)
* Use leather wrists cuffs if you can with a padlock, much safer, easier to use, and comfortable.
* MAKE IT A REALISTIC scene, don't over do it, you want to be out today, remember?
* Don't put any keys where they can't be reached by your bound hands from the floor.
* Make sure something doesn't happen to the keys (Have a cat anyone?)
* Remember to lock the front door ;)
* CHECK EVERYTHING, CHECK EVERYTHING, CHECK EVERYTHING, three times or more.