Limited Edition Black Hawk Mk2 Collection

For those who are not already aware, we currently have a Kickstarter on the go for a limited edition series of floggers. You can read all about it below or on our Kickstarter page at: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/aemiliahawk/limited-edition-black-hawk-mark-2-collection

About

The use of a flogger is usually among the first steps after discovering BDSM and to continue from our previous project: The Art of Flogging DVD, we are now aiming to bring some of the best quality toys to enthusiasts all over the world.

What is this project?

My business, Kabunza Craftwerks, specialises in building bespoke BDSM orientated toys and accessories. My own set of toys, the original limited edition Black Hawk floggers, is now ready for retirement after almost 6 years of loyal service. It is my intention to build a new set of Black Hawk impact toys for myself and give everyone the chance to own their own personalised variation. Like we did for the first set, we would like to offer this new set for a limited time of one month. We have already built prototypes and have taken photos of them so that you can see what we are offering.

Where will the money go?

Most of the cost will go into the purchasing of materials. With this exclusive range of toys, we have chosen some of the most comfortable, durable and aesthetic building products available. These materials also need to be packaged and shipped to our workshop. What is left goes into paying kickstarter fees and for the time it takes to create them as each set is 100% bespoke and takes about 20 hours to complete.

Why Kickstarter?

Due to the expense of the materials involved, Kickstarter allows us the opportunity to be able to offer luxury items such as these for a limited time. Essentially acting as a kind of pre-order, these kinds of toys would be difficult for us to offer through normal circumstances.

Rewards!

Because our skills have advanced so much since the original Black Hawk floggers were made, we are offering 6 variations in the Mk2 range and 8 pledge levels. The details of these sets can be seen below:

• The leather: A luxurious leather originating from Spain known as “Hunters leather”. This is a very soft leather with a nice amount of weight for its thickness. Each toy has exactly 42 falls (because this is the meaning to life, the universe and everything).
• The o-rings: Ouroboros (a snake swallowing its own tail). Nickel free.
• The chainmail: A style of broken Full Persian weave which we call “Hawk’s weave”. All in blackened steel and very strong. The length of the chains in our Nunchaku floggers are 3 inches and in our poi floggers, 8.5 inches. This weave is only ever used in Black Hawk’s.
• The conchos (luxury sets only): Brass ropework filigree set in stainless steel. These conchos will be engraved with your own initials or two letters of your choice. Making each set unique.
• The finger loops (Poi and Finger sets only): Double layered for added comfort and aesthetic.
• The handles (Nunchaku only): Made from chinese red oak with a steel ball bearing swivel joint for added maneuverability.

Pledge level 1: Black Hawk Mk2 Finger Floggers, Standard edition.

Pledge level 2: Black Hawk Mk2 Nunchaku Floggers, Standard edition.

Pledge level 3: Black Hawk Mk2 Poi Floggers, Standard edition.

Pledge level 4: Black Hawk Mk2 Finger floggers, Luxury edition.

Pledge level 5: Black Hawk Mk2 Nunchaku Floggers, Luxury edition.

Pledge level 6: Black Hawk Mk2 Poi Floggers, Luxury edition.

Pledge level 7: One of every standard edition set. Poi, Nunchaku and Finger floggers.

Pledge level 8: One of every luxury edition set. Poi, Nunchaku and Finger floggers.

Stretch Goals!

We have several stretch goals in mind.

Stretch Goal #1 – £5000

All reward worthy pledges will receive a copy of The Art of Flogging DVD along with their new toys!

Stretch Goal #2 – £7500

All reward worthy pledges will receive a Snap Dragon along with their new toys! These Snap Dragons will be made out of the Black Hawk Mk2 leathers and steel. (Photo coming soon)

Stretch Goal #3 – Details will be released upon reaching the previous stretch goals.

And finally

Thank you for taking the time to take a look at our Kickstarter and sharing the word. We appreciate all the support and encouragement we receive from the BDSM and alternative communities. We hope this project encourages people to play and paves the way for many more in the future.

Disclaimer: Floggers are for use by consenting adults as novelties, fashion accessories, and sexual toys. We do not encourage violence towards others and assume no responsibility for unsafe, improper, or illegal use of these items. Please be safe, sane, and consensual.

Kicking!

Just to bring everyone up to date on “The art of Flogging” DVD Kickstarter project:

The company chosen to work with us on filming the project is: The Kink Domane.
They will be able to supply the equipment, manpower, filming, editing and sound for the DVD.
We have already finished the promotional video for the project and we are hoping to have it live within a week.
We will have only 30 days to reach our target goal and all information about what we hope to include will be posted as soon as the project goes live. I will be supplying a list of the things which the project funds will need to be spent on in order to complete the project, so everyone will know where the money is going. Obviously the more funding we make, the more we will be able to do and the better we will be able to do it.

All advertising and backing of this project will be greatly appreciated and there will be some nice rewards given away to people who lend monetary support to the project.
There will also be options for kink orientated businesses to be plugged in the DVD by sponsoring the project.

I have started a group on Fetlife to spread the word and keep people who do not follow my blog up to date. You can join this group at:
https://fetlife.com/groups/119378
This should end up being something pretty awesome.

Kabunza: Bullwhips

As usual, I seem to be incredibly busy lately. But here is a picture of something shiny to make up for it!

Anyone who knows me, or follows my blog, knew that I would end up building these eventually. I have made 4 bullwhips so far (of varying lengths) and while I do not plan on taking any custom orders for them yet, I will be building one on occasion to be put up for sale in our Kabunza Etsy shop. So, keep your eye out for them if you fancy grabbing one for your toy bag.

At the moment, I simply do not feel that I am good enough to be building them to specific measurements and criteria given to me by others. Hence why I will be building them at my own pace.

To date I have only been playing with nylon, but as I improve in skill, I am sure that I will end up wanting to experiment with kangaroo hide. So keep your eyes open for more posts along similar lines.

The whip in the photo is a 5 foot 12 plait black nylon paracord bullwhip with 2 bellies (one 8 plait and one 6 plait). Stainless steel 402 grade ball bearing shot loaded braided polyester core with a waxed nyltex shot blocker, 4 point nylon fall hitch and a 10 inch stainless steel rod handle. Stainless steel 8mm ring chainmail transition and pommel.

Mine.

The softest of black suedes. A small sliver of a rare South African skin that I had been saving for something special. It was laid out flat next to the vibrant purple of a Spanish relaxed grain leather. The contrast was beautiful. The colours complimented each other and as I sat down to study the striations and view the detailing of the leathers further, she wrapped her arms around my shoulders and hugged me from behind. Nothing was said, she simply wanted to see.

It needed to be perfect. It needed to be special. She had picked the leathers, her favourite colours, and I was about to build it for her with my bare hands while she watched.

There is nothing quite like the smell of freshly cut leather. My blade sliced through her choices effortlessly as I cut the strips required. A soft but strong backing of the blackest night followed by the warm and vibrant colours that would accentuate and bring life to that darkness. I could not help feeling slightly amused at our dynamics similarities.

Metals next. The strongest of steel. Cold and hard. An armour of chain for its front and a little love willed into every ring as they were forcefully weaved together. As the skies darkened and turned to night, I flicked my workbench lamp on. The dim light glistened off the metal as I held it aloft to look closely at the weaved florets and I could feel her smile as she continued to watch it take shape in my hands.

The next step was aesthetics. Those little touches of beautification. Not because it needed such things, but because they are desired. The reflected shine from the steel bezel blazed into my eyes as I placed it in position, enhancing its every detail. The victorianesque patterns which oddly reminded me of rope whenever I looked at them closely were glistening in the light and I began to reminisce of the previous evenings play in the very spot where we were now. I was tempted to repeat the process. Her scent was constant and delicious, I could feel her soft breath on my neck and it would have been so easy to simply throw down my tools and grab her for another ropey roll on the floor, but this was important, so as I brought the hammer down roughly atop the clear crystal rivet center of the final touches, I shook the desire to the side and promised myself the pleasure at a later date.

It was late by the time I had finished. All was quiet as I stood in front of her with the finished creation and held it in the light where she could see it clearly.

“Are you sure?” I asked as I gave her a meaningful look.

Her meek grin was incredibly cute as she nodded back at me.

The last ingredient was already in place as I slipped the leather and steel collar around her.

Trust.

Unequivocal. Clear and pure. Trust.

Her smile widened as the click of the padlock shattered the silence and as I pulled her towards me by the belt, I gave her left nipple a playful pinch followed by a toothy grin.

“Mine” I growled through the smile as I wrapped her in an embrace.

Kabunza: “Black Hawk” poi floggers

Have you ever wanted a set of floggers just like mine? Well now you can have a pair!

The “Black Hawk” chainmail poi floggers were originally a completely unique, one-of-a-kind set created solely for my personal use in play, demonstrations, workshops and photoshoots. However, after many people have asked me for sets and after much coaxing by my partner, I have agreed to allow replicas to be custom created. These floggers will be limited to 30 sets and will come with a Kabunza certificate of authenticity which will be numbered, signed and dated.

The “Black Hawk” poi floggers have a longer than normal chain (a hefty 8.5 inches) with a unique chainmail hybrid weave that we call “Broken Persian” which we do not normally offer as an option on our standard sets of floggers. They are also heavier, due to having 36 falls instead of our standard 24 and come with reinforced double layered poi finger loops

Please be aware that these sets are only purchasable through our Etsy shop and will not be available at our event trade stands. Each set will take between two to three weeks to complete with each piece of leather being hand picked to be as close to the feel of the original Black Hawk’s as possible.

Details:
36x 18 inch mixed Brazilian black top grain leather falls (1 centimeter in width).
8.5 inch length of stainless steel “Broken Persian hybrid” weave chainmail (8mm rings) chain.
Italian black nappa leather Turks head embellishes.
Double layered South African black suede and Brazillian black top grain leather poi finger loops.

WARNING: These floggers will be difficult to use accurately compared to our standard poi flogger sets due to the extended length of the chain. We recommend practicing with them on a pillow before using them on a play partner.

Mongoose Publishing – Dark Eon Assassin.

A couple of years ago, I helped out a friend with a project by voice acting the lead character in a comic book style introduction story which was aimed at promoting his new game.

Recently I have been allowed access to use the promotional footage as an example of my voice acting work. I thought it might be a fun thing to add to my blog (as well as fill in a inordinately long time gap between posts as I have been too busy to sit down and write anything significant lately).

Comments are welcome. You can check out other gaming stuff by Mongoose Publishing at www.mongoosepublishing.com.

Enjoy.

Video courtesy of Mongoose Publishing
Copyright © Mongoose Publishing 2003-2014

Kabunza: Headquarters!

Kabunza has finally moved into it’s own headquarters!

We moved in last month and aside from putting up some room dividers (which I am hoping to do as soon as possible to section off our areas), we have pretty much settled in and made ourselves at home.

Our workshop and office is located in the heart of Swindon (the address can be seen on the Kabunza Facebook page, or you can message me and I will relay it to you) and is open most weekdays (depending on what events we will be attending) for visitors to come along and browse our current stock or even have a look through our leathers to order something custom to be made. I am also willing to give tuition at this location for anyone wishing to learn techniques from me privately.

Because we share a building with a kink friendly publishing firm, we have access to a lot of space, so with a little luck we will also be hosting a few workshops and events here (I have even been thinking about hosting a small but regular peer rope event). I will keep people posted about these through my Kabunza page on this blog as and when we plan them.

Of course, you will still be able to purchase our items through our Etsy shop, but now everyone has the added option of popping by the place where everything is made, having a look at our construction process and browsing through it all in person!

Officially open to the public! Come along and check us out!

Photos courtesy of Dark Desires photography.
Photography by Dark Desires photography.
All images are copyright © Dark Desires photography

Kabunza: Hyperlights, Tri-Layers and Whumpers. Oh my!

During the process of designing the improvements that I have recently been introducing into all of our standard Kabunza floggers, I have also been working on optional variations of flogger styles. I am happy to introduce the Kabunza “Tri-Layer” Floggers and Kabunza “Whumper” floggers to bolster our ranks of impact toy options.

Our flogger selection now consists of the following variations:

Hyperlight:
Hyperlight floggers are incredibly light and perfect for tickling or gently dragging across areas of sensitive skin. 48 luxuriously gentle 14 inch falls created only from silk suede or nappa. These floggers are super soft and intended to be used for sensation play rather than serious impact play. We normally create these floggers singly with a wrist loop and short 3 inch string of chainmail unless otherwise requested.

 

Minipoi:
To put it as simply as possible, Minipoi are essentially miniature versions of our standard poi floggers. 24 falls (16 inches in length) that are half the width of our standard and a 3 inch string of chainmail with lighter hardware and rings. Due to the thin width of the flogger falls (half a centimeter), these very light and quick variants tend to pack more of a sting than a thud. We normally make these floggers available for purchase singly unless otherwise requested.

Standard:
Our standard floggers are what I consider the best medium. During a process of over 3 years of testing, I have found that this weight and fall count to be the best average for general use. Not too light and not too heavy. Good for prolonged play and packing a decent impact at the same time. 24 falls, each at 1cm in width and with a length of between 16-18 inches depending on the style of flogger. We normally create this type of flogger in Nunchaku (16 inch falls) or Poi (18 inch falls) and are purchasable in pairs unless otherwise requested.

Whumper:
Our Whumper floggers consist of a larger fall width of 1.5cm and include wider and heavier hardware and rings. These floggers pack significantly more weight and wallop with each impact. In the hands of a strong arm and sadistic nature, expect severe bruising when used. With 24 falls, we normally create this type of flogger in Nunchaku (16 inch falls) or Poi (18 inch falls) and are purchasable in pairs unless otherwise requested.

Tri-Layer:
Our Tri-Layer floggers are a little different in that they consist of 36 falls instead of our standard 24 and are made from 3 separate hides, usually one leather, one suede and one nappa. Offering a veritable plethora of sensation options. The falls have a width of 1cm, are usually created in the Nunchaku (16 inch falls) or Poi (18 inch falls) styles and are purchasable in pairs unless otherwise requested.

And, of course, our current style types consist of:

Poi (as seen above):
Designed with some of the more creative or aesthetic styles of play in mind (including Florentine), our standard poi floggers consist of 18 inch falls, a 5 inch string of chainmail that has been created with 8mm rings in metals of stainless steel, blackened steel, brass, bronze or a mixture of the aforementioned metals and ending in a pair of leather or suede finger loops. This style of flogger is usually created in matching pairs.

Nunchaku (as seen above):
Each of our Nunchaku are built with efficiency in mind and some techniques (such as ricochet flogging) can only be done effectively with this style of flogger. Well balanced with 16 inch falls, a solid red oak handle, a 3 inch string of chainmail that has been created with 10mm rings in metals of stainless steel, blackened steel, brass, bronze or a mixture of the aforementioned metals and a plated steel ball bearing swivel connection. The falls of these floggers will never tangle and are easy to keep spinning for prolonged play.

With hard work and determination, Kabunza has been improving in leaps and bounds over this past year and once again we are almost ready to jump up to the next level. But I will announce the news as we progress. All I will say for now is that new designs are constantly being imagined, expect more BDSM and impact play creations to fill our ranks in the very near future, we will be expanding into new areas of creativity and, with a bit of luck, new literal areas as well.

If you do not see something you would like to purchase already up for sale in our Etsy shop, do not hesitate to contact us with a custom order request.

Until the next update, happy shopping!

And don’t forget to join our Facebook page for the chance to win free goodies 😉

Kabunza: More “whump”

At Kabunza, I am forever trying to improve our creations. Our range of floggers have gone through many ‘upgrades’ over the past year and personally using them on a frequent basis helps a lot when it comes to the refinement of our designs.

With the recent success of our Minipoi floggers and their steady introduction into our permanent products, I thought it was time to upgrade our normal floggers once again.

This weekend, Sunday 9th March, will be our first ever trade stand in London at the LFF (London Fetish Fair). I thought it might be a good place to introduce the latest upgrade. I have worked out a new measuring system to squeeze in as much leather into our flogger O-rings as possible, adding extra weight and thickness to all our standard ranges of Poi and Nunchaku floggers.

I want to bring you more “whump” with every spin!

Even better will be the fact that our prices will not budge! Instead, I will be placing all the older sets of our floggers on sale at a reduced price until the last stock of our previous design are gone.

In the words of Austin Powers: “London, baby, yeah!”

Product review: Designer silks by Diana

Sometimes it is the little things that count the most. The smallest of gestures and details can make all the difference.

With this thought in mind, allow me to bring your attention to a little business run by a friend of mine: Designer silks by Diana.

Normally her items are intended as scarfs, however, these beautiful hand painted slivers of silk have multiple other uses. Including uses with BDSM connotations when you have a mind as kinky as mine.

Not only is her work divinely detailed, it is also custom created.

These 100% chiffon silk scarfs can be used as elegant blindfolds or gags. They can also be used for sensation play where you run the silk gently over skin or pull it taught around the throat and other sensitive areas.

One can easily get sensually creative in play with one of these at hand and they add a wonderfully personalised touch of refinement and class.

On an additional note: when not using it in your play space, wearing it as originally intended (as an item of clothing during your vanilla hours) offers up a wonderful little reminder of your kinky fun to your play partner (and perhaps encouraging more).

You can check out her latest creations in her new Etsy shop at:
https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/DesignerSilksByDiana

Or her Facebook page at:
https://www.facebook.com/Designersilksbydiana