Pneumatic (air pressure) release
Posted: 25 Sep 2008, 06:02
Safety is always paramount in an daily life. Self bondage requires even more attention to detail to ensure safety. Some bondage release setups have bothered me in the past and I am constantly seeking a safer and more secure method to time the release.
This search brought me to this forum and to study pneumatics. Keys magnetize, temperatures vary, and strings tangle. Compressed air can provide much more holding power than an electric magnet, without the concern of electric wires attached to your bondage setup. Compressed air may provide hundreds of pounds of pushing or pulling power with a fairly small cylinder. This force must never push or pull on the restraints or anything else attached to the body. Safety is my highest priority.
By replacing the electric magnet on the self-bondage stocks with an air cylinder moving a pin, the holding power can be increased substantially. Then again, I do not want to spend $100 on a magnet that may not hold well enough. By using an industrial air cylinder on each wrist cuff, I have increased the redundancy to double. The 3/4 inch bore X 1 inch stroke air cylinders at the local industrial supply company cost me about $15 a piece. The single acting ,spring loaded return ones are the cheapest and safest in my opinion. These require air pressure to continue holding and return back when the air pressure is gone. Double acting cylinders require air pressure to move in either direction. The most common failure in industrial applications is air leaks. This will at least reduce the strength or cause complete lack of function, depending upon the rate of air loss. Only in extreme cases under severe conditions will a lack of imaintenance cause the cylinder to seize up. For bondage applications, careful inspection and lubrication will ensure this will not happen. Then again, I will not ever see my cylinders reach over 100,000 cycles while exposed to constant industrial dirt and grime. My home is cleaner than that.
I have no intention of building the electric stocks as shown on the main page. My intended application is in both a wooden cross format and a medical 6 point bed tie down setup. My wrist restraints are locking medical restraints which require the other hand to unlock and release. Due to this limit, I desire a release mechanism that lets go of the restraint instead of the key. An electric magnet capable of holding is well beyond my budget. Then again, a magnet requires a metal plate to hold. This is often heavy, gets warm, and shall never be above my head. With the cylinder operating a moving pin to catch the tie down ring on my wrist restraints, the release should be extremely reliable and only be holding the weight of my restraints. So far, this sounds safer to me.
By using air pressure to hold, I am hoping to build a setup with sufficient redundancy to prevent another scare. With multiple timers controlling multiple electric controlled air valves, the release should occur at the programmed time. All air valves will be wired and plumbed to dump the air pressure when they lose electricity. In the event of a power outage, I will be instantly released. The electric valves that I chose have 12 volt coils. This allows me to power the relays from an exhaustible power source (batteries). The timers will be plugged into the wall but will only control more relays in line with the battery power. The air compressor will never be directly attached to the bondage setup. I desire to use a small portable air tank to supply the initial pressure, By intentionally installing a small air leak, the pressure will not last forever as a final fail safe.
Each of the air components were selected by air pressure rating to ensure safety. My air compressor shuts off at 100 PSI. Therefore, anything rated above that in industrial applications is safe. The valves are rated at 125 PSI. The fittings are 160 PSI. The hose is 250 PSI (this is the most critical in an air system). The air cylinders are rated at 300 PSI.
Pictures, diagrams, and further information will be posted as they are produced. At this time, I only have the air cylinder mounting brackets, one air valve, and the air hose. The other air components were supposed to be at the store this afternoon, but were not. Hopefully, I have better luck tomorrow.
After such a long wall of text, I finally have arrived at the reason you should see this: the questions. While I have some high school science knowledge on air pressure and some experience with its use, I do not know enough to trust this without another set of eyes looking it over. Please provide any possible comments, suggestions, or questions. I especially desire any suggestions for better safety and an emergency release.
This search brought me to this forum and to study pneumatics. Keys magnetize, temperatures vary, and strings tangle. Compressed air can provide much more holding power than an electric magnet, without the concern of electric wires attached to your bondage setup. Compressed air may provide hundreds of pounds of pushing or pulling power with a fairly small cylinder. This force must never push or pull on the restraints or anything else attached to the body. Safety is my highest priority.
By replacing the electric magnet on the self-bondage stocks with an air cylinder moving a pin, the holding power can be increased substantially. Then again, I do not want to spend $100 on a magnet that may not hold well enough. By using an industrial air cylinder on each wrist cuff, I have increased the redundancy to double. The 3/4 inch bore X 1 inch stroke air cylinders at the local industrial supply company cost me about $15 a piece. The single acting ,spring loaded return ones are the cheapest and safest in my opinion. These require air pressure to continue holding and return back when the air pressure is gone. Double acting cylinders require air pressure to move in either direction. The most common failure in industrial applications is air leaks. This will at least reduce the strength or cause complete lack of function, depending upon the rate of air loss. Only in extreme cases under severe conditions will a lack of imaintenance cause the cylinder to seize up. For bondage applications, careful inspection and lubrication will ensure this will not happen. Then again, I will not ever see my cylinders reach over 100,000 cycles while exposed to constant industrial dirt and grime. My home is cleaner than that.
I have no intention of building the electric stocks as shown on the main page. My intended application is in both a wooden cross format and a medical 6 point bed tie down setup. My wrist restraints are locking medical restraints which require the other hand to unlock and release. Due to this limit, I desire a release mechanism that lets go of the restraint instead of the key. An electric magnet capable of holding is well beyond my budget. Then again, a magnet requires a metal plate to hold. This is often heavy, gets warm, and shall never be above my head. With the cylinder operating a moving pin to catch the tie down ring on my wrist restraints, the release should be extremely reliable and only be holding the weight of my restraints. So far, this sounds safer to me.
By using air pressure to hold, I am hoping to build a setup with sufficient redundancy to prevent another scare. With multiple timers controlling multiple electric controlled air valves, the release should occur at the programmed time. All air valves will be wired and plumbed to dump the air pressure when they lose electricity. In the event of a power outage, I will be instantly released. The electric valves that I chose have 12 volt coils. This allows me to power the relays from an exhaustible power source (batteries). The timers will be plugged into the wall but will only control more relays in line with the battery power. The air compressor will never be directly attached to the bondage setup. I desire to use a small portable air tank to supply the initial pressure, By intentionally installing a small air leak, the pressure will not last forever as a final fail safe.
Each of the air components were selected by air pressure rating to ensure safety. My air compressor shuts off at 100 PSI. Therefore, anything rated above that in industrial applications is safe. The valves are rated at 125 PSI. The fittings are 160 PSI. The hose is 250 PSI (this is the most critical in an air system). The air cylinders are rated at 300 PSI.
Pictures, diagrams, and further information will be posted as they are produced. At this time, I only have the air cylinder mounting brackets, one air valve, and the air hose. The other air components were supposed to be at the store this afternoon, but were not. Hopefully, I have better luck tomorrow.
After such a long wall of text, I finally have arrived at the reason you should see this: the questions. While I have some high school science knowledge on air pressure and some experience with its use, I do not know enough to trust this without another set of eyes looking it over. Please provide any possible comments, suggestions, or questions. I especially desire any suggestions for better safety and an emergency release.