Making a flogger

In response to the fact that one of the most-searched for things on this blog is how to make a flogger, I thought I would repost the content of my flogger post as a seperate page.

Enjoy!



To start with, you'll need rope.

This stuff is what I bought to use. 100 feet gave me enough to make my two, but you'll want the 100 for just one as well - I used more than half of it.

A warning: this flogger is PAINFUL. It bites, it cuts (without actually breaking skin) and if it wraps you'll really wish it hadn't.

"It is great for camping, tie downs, emergency and survival uses," says the description on a different listing for the same product. Heck yeah. Flogging emergency, years without a flogging over here. Survival definitely at stake. Lovely purple paracord to the rescue. Of course you can choose whatever color you fancy, or use a different sort of rope altogether. If you choose a different rope, or a thicker one that you'll need to unravel, you'll want a smaller cord as well for the handle. With this flogger, I bought some small white cord at Lowe's for the handle so it would show up better in the photographs - I previously just used the paracord for both. It could look quite.. striking if you wanted to splurge and get another color for the handle.

I wondered what kind of person buys nylon paracord as a gift.
I had a good giggle out of that, my husband chuckled as well.



Step 1

Make sure you have some good sharp scissors. A helper wouldn't hurt either, to cut the cord while you hold it tight. This stuff is pretty tough. Decide how long you want the entirety of your flogger to be, from tip to tip, including the handle, and start making loops that are that long. Also decide if you want individual tails or neat loops. With this flogger, I went for neat loops, as they are just prettier to me than ragged ones, and I already had some like that. If you want individual tails, hold your loops with the loose ends all the way at the bottom (not the part in your hand). If you want the flogger to stay looped, then loop the loose ends around so they will become part of the handle and not seen - somewhere close to your palm.

Try to keep the loops in your hand neat. Make loops until you're satisfied with the thickness/weight/quantity of tails. This could go a lot of ways. I'd say make at least 8 loops, at a minimum, for this flogger to work well. I did a lot more.

 


Step 2

Take the rest of the cord (or the other color), and make a loop of the length you want your handle to be (about 6 inches) with an end that passes over the top of it quite a bit. You'll want this long because you have to apply a lot of pressure to it in a little while. Note: mine wasn't long enough. Make it long enough that you can tie a slip knot in the end of it with plenty left over, later.


Lay your loop against the coils with the loopy bit facing the tails, and the rest of the cord still attached to it.


Step 3

Begin to wrap the cord around the coils and the loop. After each pass, pull it tight. I'm not kidding. Really tight. You'll feel it when it's right, everything just sort of squooshes together and becomes firm.


Do not hold it like this. Hold it in your fists and keep the pressure up. This was the only way I could get a photo. Because I let go of it here, the handle tends to separate at this point during use. While it doesn't affect the flogger's usability, it doesn't look very nice. Seriously. Keep up that pressure any way you can.

Step 4

When your wrapping has almost completely covered the loop and there's just a little tiny bit of loop left showing, cut the cord and leave a little extra. Pass the cut end through the loop. Pull on the end that you left long back when you started wrapping. You'll have to pull hard. Pull until the loop is pulled up under your handle coils and disappears. Be careful you don't fall down on your ass, though.



Step 5

Trim the ends of your handle cord as close as possible. Then, decide if you want loops or loose tails on the business end. I did about half and half on one of mine, but as mentioned, I prefer the loops. If you want them, go ahead and cut your loops loose. Individual tails will also poke the white insides of the paracord out, which you can trim later after some use for appearances. If you're using bigger rope, go ahead and cut the ends and untwist the rope to your desired level. The more you unravel, the softer the flogger will be.


Step 6

Go flog and/or be flogged! Or hide it in a drawer from where it will never see the light of day again, y'know, your choice.

If all that seems like too much work, and, indeed, I've given myself quite some few blisters doing this, you can always buy one (blisters totally not included!) from my etsy shop.

20 comments:

  1. This is a very crafty idea...I will try it out. Thank you!

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    1. Very welcome! Let me know how it works out for you!

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  2. Yummy - I've made several of our toys - but I'll be making this for Daddy's homecoming. Thanks!

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  3. I made one this weekend but I used suede and gave it a wooden core for a little extra strength.

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  4. pictures possibly tomorrow.

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  5. Awesome post. I did something a little different, and haven't tried it yet. Window screen cord (?) and duck tape. Doesn't look as pretty. Will review after we tried it. But this was great to jump start my creativity!

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    1. That sounds really interesting! Looking forward to the review!

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  6. Um... so I see an etsy shop link. Does that mean you sell these? Because I'm not that crafty, and I'd rather buy one from you. :)

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    1. Ha! Thank you for pointing out that I had no items in my shop. Yes, I sell them. I love to make them and there are only so many we can use. If the two I have available on etsy (now) don't appeal to you, I also made the ones pictured on Kitty's front page, of which I am very proud, and if you'd like one in those colors, I can do that too. Email me if there's something else you'd prefer, I'm happy to make a custom one.

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  7. I've also made these from horse tail hair. (A friend had a herd, and she kept the tails trimmed short and would give me the shorn hair for art projects.) I'd braid up a bunch into thin braids to do the cording for the handle and then have the falls just a big ponytail. Light and a touch stingy, but nice for a lightweight warmup or the sensitive bits! They make a nice contrast from the more thuddy nylon and leather (or leather alternative).

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    1. That sounds pretty amazing, as well as labor intensive.

      I've thought about making one from my own hair. :) But.. I didn't.

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  8. My sub recently asked if we could try flogging, something we haven't done yet. I love that idea of making one that's our own, but would you recommend buying one first to try it out?

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    1. You know, a while ago I'd have probably said no, don't buy - but making them actually gets kind of labor intensive and material intensive, and if what you wind up with is not the sort of thing you were after, sensation-wise, then you've wasted a lot of effort and money.

      I make a pretty inexpensive one that's good for beginners - (and beyond), if you're interested in the kind I make and in seeing how they're made to attempt your own. (this paracord one, not so good for beginners. OUCH)

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    2. What materials would you recommend that a beginner use to make a flogger?

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    3. Softer rope - you can buy it by the foot in some hardware stores, and that way you can feel how soft it is first. (they have samples hanging down) The softer kinds will surprise you with how much they wind up costing though. Ideally you want something that feels smooth and gives a little to the touch, rather than something that feels tight and solid. If it's shiny and soft, that's a pretty good sign.

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    4. Oh, and wash it first in warm water a few times (in the sink) and let it hang dry before you craft with it.

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  9. Have you tried the Bad Bunny floggers? I don't know if they have them everywhere but I saw the most fantastic purple and aqua one at the Fetish Expo in Melbourne, Australia.
    Without promoting my site, I have a picture there: http://erotibox.wordpress.com/2013/09/27/what-i-wish-was-in-pandoras-box-bad-bunny-flogger/

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Thank you for reading. I hope you'll let me know you were here - I like friends!