www.BoundAnna.com

A quick question for the more experienced.

I just remembered a device I came across quite some time ago called a panic snap. The packaging wasn't really clear on how it worked, and the person in store wasn't familiar with them either, but having looked it up online, apparently they're designed such that they can be released without unloading the rope its connected to.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panic_snap

According to the above article, they're sometimes used in couples bondage scenarios since unloading a rope isn't necessarily a simple task. (Suspension, for instance - if you can't get a foot down to the ground, you need some other means of supporting the body with other fasteners). Unsurprisingly, it says nothing about applications in self bondage.

Has anyone worked with these things before? It seems like it might be a decent linchpin in a hogtie or the like - if you pull the legs back as far as they go, it'd be difficult to remove the resulting tension from the rope to undo a knot or carabiner. Any thoughts?

They are an excellent piece of kit as part of a bondage scene, solo or partnered.

The mechanisms vary but usually rely on a very low force being necessary to release the main load.

One version used for restraining horses (not in a kinky way ) has a sleeve covering the end of the loop securing the lead rope, you just grasp the sleeve and slide it, opening the loop with no effort even if a panicking horse is pulling at full force.

Having had direct experience in a bondage scene with My Lady, who fainted, I know that trying to lift a dead weight is far from easy - I was using conventional double-ended snap-links, and even these were tricky to manage with one hand whilst supporting her body - you really wouldn't be able to undo knots (which is why you should always have surgical shears to hand when doing rope bondage)

Though they are not infallible, I was at a party at the weekend (not a play party but all present were kinky people) and one lady said she saw someone at a recent play-party get stuck even using panic snaps as she managed to twist in such a way as to trap the release levers against her back. Her partner was able to release her, but in a solo scene that would have been a serious problem.

You can get them in different designs and qualities.

If you want to suspend anything with them, make sure that it is a good quality and a design made for suspension.

For a spread eagle bondage, with little load applied and no consequences of a breakage, use whatever you like.

You can get some very nice, and expensive, stainless steel versions at the local boating shop. Brass costs less, and die-cast zinc is really cheap (and lousy).

You need to be very careful with those - unless you can find one which actually gives a load rating (I'm yet to see one that does), and unless that rating is in the 10kN+ range, do not use it for suspension - at least not as a load bearing element.

Also be aware that you need to be sure you know where the load is going to go if released.

They're pretty good for spreadeagles and other positions where the purpose is to restrain but not carry direct weight. Don't put rope through the actual snap; the arrangement of the jaws will damage it. Use a metal ring (again, ensure it's welded and strong enough for whatever you're doing).

hi,

if you want it for suspension, use a snap shackle from the sailing shop. Mine is from stainless steel has a breaking load of 1600kg
as ruru67 said, if you want to be on the safe side, use a steel ring as ropes might get caught.

Joe.

There are some really delicious things at the boating store!

But "delicious" (and in this case also "strong") has a price:
http://www.apsltd.com/nicro-snap-shackl ... ail-2.html

Bail Inside Diameter (in) 13/32
Bail Inside Diameter (mm) 10
Breaking Load (lbs) 3750 Breaking Load (kg) 1700
Length (in) 2-23/32 Length (mm) 69
Safe Working Load (lbs) 1870 Safe Working Load (kg) 850
Shackle Inside Diameter (mm) 16
Weight (g) 50 -
See more at: http://www.apsltd.com/nicro-snap-shackl ... qY38d.dpuf

A cheap and strong alternative is a "modified lark's head knot".

I've never used it for suspension, but it is great to hold a large force that must be quickly releasable.

The rod should be secured with a rubber band, to make sure that it can't slip out when no load is applied.

I onced used them on a sail boat; Used to quick change sails
in a race. They work very well, and can hold a lot of weight.
Rader

ruru67 wrote:Also be aware that you need to be sure you know where the load is going to go if released.

Of course, though, in all fairness, this is true of any form of bondage. Even if it's just a matter of a rope under tension snapping back upon release, it can still do property damage if it whacks the wrong thing. Far worse if there's any possibility of the ropes shift in such a way the neck becomes anything close to load bearing.

My plans are not that dramatic - I'm just thinking of something along the lines of a hog tie pulling my legs back as far as they go - if I can't bend my legs back further, I can't zero the load on that connection, so I needed an alternative. And these things sounded perfect for the job.

Thanks for the input, everyone!