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!”

Kabunza: Leatherwear

Since my last Kabunza post, I have created two more impact play sets: Relentless Midnight and Purple Haze. Both of which can be seen and read about on the Kabunza Blog.

However, this post is about all those leftover, fiddly, excess bits of leather that I end up with after producing a run of the aforementioned floggers. The parts that are just too small to make anything ‘hitty’ from. Sometimes these leather off-cuts are used in bracers or to embellish other historical reenactment armour, sometimes it is used in a custom or unique creation, sometimes it is used in my own pet projects or sometimes I just store it away in a box (because you never know when a specific bit of leather will come in handy). But I have never ventured into a permanent use for it because I have always been so preoccupied with our main ‘Metalwear‘, ‘Daywear‘ and Impact toys.

Last month, I  decided to have a little play with some, and I came up with a few new collar and restraint designs.

(Naturally including a tiny touch of our trademark Kabunza chainmail).

The latest range of collars and restraints: ‘Leatherwear‘ by Kabunza!

Because the amount of metalwork involved in making these newest of items is significantly less, they will be a lovely cheaper option for those who would like a stepping stone before moving on to one of our ‘Metalwear’ Collars.

I plan on creating many different styles and combinations, but here is a little peek at the examples that I have made to date:

Kabunza: Chocolate Decadence

I had to do it sooner or later: The first matching set of BDSM impact play toys by Kabunza.

When I originally decided to start building a matching set, it was also going to include a matching collar, wrist and ankle cuffs, and a necklace for the Dominant that would have the key to the collar and cuffs as a pendant. Then I realised that the amount of cash I would end up needing to charge someone for all of that, and the matching toy collection as well, would likely be outside the range of a standard budget (not to mention incredibly hefty in materials and time consuming on my part).
So, despite being able to do it (who knows, I may get a custom order for such a set in the future), I decided to simply stick with a collection of impact toys.

This first matching collection brings about the introduction of Dragon Tails into our range of BDSM products. Which, despite being one of the more difficult items to incorporate chainmail into, seems to have turned out rather nicely. I have personally tested the design and I am more than happy with the results. These things pack a thrilling sting, feel lovely in the hand and, at the same time, are very aesthetically pleasing.

Anyway, let us get down to the details:

“Chocolate Decadence” BDSM Impact play set:

This set consists of 5 items in total: A pair of Kabunza Poi Floggers, A pair of Kabunza Nunchaku Floggers and a Kabunza Dragon Tail.

Details of the “Chocolate Decadence” Poi Floggers:
These have a hefty total length of 28 inches from tip to tip. They give a wonderful “thuddy” experience.
Statistics:
18 inch European chocolate suede leather falls (1 centimeter in width).
5 inch length of solid bronze “Box Chain” weave chainmail (8mm rings) chain.
Black Italian goat skin leather Turks head embellishes.
European chocolate suede poi finger loops.

Details of the “Chocolate Decadence” Nunchaku Floggers:
These have a hefty total length of 28 inches from tip to tip. Clearly a flogger for the discerning connaisseur. On an additional note: These floggers will never tangle due to the ball bearing swivel.
Statistics:
16 inch European chocolate suede leather falls (1 centimeter in width).
3 inch length of solid bronze “Box chain” weave chainmail (8mm rings) chain.
Black Italian goat skin leather Turks head embellishes.
8 inch Black ‘Chinese red oak’ wood Nunchaku handles with engraved, European chocolate suede leather embellished, grip.
Plated steel ball bearing swivel connection.

Details of the “Chocolate Decadence” Dragons Tail:
The newest addition to the Kabunza arsenal: The Dragons Tail. With a flickable length of over 35 inches, this tail comes with a guaranteed sting which will, no doubt (we hope), be administered with love.
Statistics:
25 inch European chocolate suede tail.
10 inch handle containing a solid pinewood core, layered inside the leather of the tail (this is a single length of leather) to assure strength and have the added bonus of a very comfortable grip.
Embellished and strengthened further with solid bronze “European 4:1” chainmail and waxed black cotton cord.

Why did I decide on the first set being something other than black? Because I wanted to do something different. Something a little ‘Steampunky’ and something that incorporated Bronze instead of the more commonly used metals.

Our aim as a business is (and always will be) to bring only the pinnacle of quality and craftsmanship to the table while also standing out from the crowd, avoiding the norm (even amongst the kink) and to be unquestionably unique.

I think this first matching set (of what will hopefully be many) pulls off all of those aspects rather nicely.

The set has been given a name for a reason; this set is one-of-a-kind. I have no more of this type of suede leather and I doubt I will be getting any more bronze rings unless specifically requested for other custom creations.

It is now available for sale in our Etsy shop and I wish any potential buyers the best of luck in attaining it. Once it is sold, it will be incredibly unlikely that I will ever have the similar materials to build another.

Kabunza: Nunchaku!

It should come as no surprise that I eventually started working on more flogger designs for Kabunza.

Detached handled floggers being next on my list; the finished products of our newest design have turned out wonderfully.

Each set has plated steel ball bearing swivel joints on the handles to prevent the falls tangling and for complete fluidity of motion. Ricochet flogging has never been easier.

   

And, of course, everything is customisable. Including our trademark Kabunza chainmail detachments.

Clearly a flogger for the discerning connaisseur.

I will be demonstrating these and our Poi floggers this coming weekend at SWAMP in Bristol. I look forward to seeing people there.

If, however, you cannot wait that long to get your hands on a set; You can visit our online shop at: https://www.etsy.com/shop/Kabunza.

Floggalicious

If anyone has been following Kabunza on Fetlife or Kabunza on Facebook, it would be apparent that I recently designed and built my first sets of chainmail poi floggers.

I decided to promote their introduction and release at the Bristol SWAMP on the 12th May and due to the fact that I only had enough leather to make 6 in total and the fact that I would never be getting any more of that type of leather; I released them as a limited edition.

2 days before the event, I advertised that we would only be selling them at that specific event to see how people would react to the design, look and concept.

To say that I am surprised by peoples reaction to them is an understatement. 4 of the 6 had sold within the first hour of opening our trade stand, they had all sold by the end of the market day and in case any had not; I had a backup of emails and messages from people requesting to purchase them if they did not sell at the event (so, even if all of them had not sold at the market, they would have been sold regardless).

It was also a pleasure to give one purchaser a few lessons at the afterparty on how to use them effectively.

Due to such a positive response, I have decided to look into making more and building permanent designs (as well as a few limited edition and unique floggers). I have also decided to take a month (or so) as time off from residential professional Domination to concentrate on getting this new part of Kabunza up and running (I will still be available for sessions, but it will be by appointment only or on the occasional day that I decide to visit my Bristol Dungeon. Watch my twitter feed for tweets on when those occasional days will be).

Concept & Design: Demonic cloven hoof / knee-high boot hybrid

One of the skills required to be a successful Dominatrix is imagination. Without being able to dream up scenarios, tortures, temptations and other sinful activities, a Dominant would not get very far at all. A moderate to high level of wit is a prerequisite to be competent in this kind of lifestyle or profession.

Even with my business: Kabunza, I dream up concepts and creation ideas on a daily basis to be crafted in our workshop.

Back in 2009, I came up with a design for creating a demonic cloven hoof/knee-high boot hybrid. My aim was to add to my already demonic looking persona by extending these features into my clothing. The majority of my clothing was already custom created and I have always preferred deviating as far from the mundane as possible, so this kind of eccentricity in clothing did not seem odd to me at all. I would still wear these if I could ever find someone to make them for me. I also realise the possible ponyplay applications of such footwear, but that is beside the point.

In 2010 one of my very talented artist friends came to live with me for a while, and it was during the course of her stay that we managed to sit down in front of her computer to create a visual representation of my concept. Her name is Linda Jones (formerly Linda Pitman) of www.sheblackdragon.com.

One night, after many glasses of a rather vulgar sweet brandy, we had the basic concept sketches saved to file (which managed to take up about 6 hours of an evening because of the alcohol fueled, sidetracking anecdotes and titllating conversation). We unsteadily motioned to bed at around 4 in the morning with vows to finish up the artwork on the following day, and sure enough, as expected, the next morning we spent a further 3 hours in front of the computer screen finishing up the design art; such is the pace at which we meandered during the course of the 6 month period that she lived with me.

So, because I have recently stumbled across the design amongst my archived files and photos, and because a lot of heart went into the artwork and concept (as well as a lot of expensive brandy), I have decided to publish the design to blog in the hope that one day someone skilled enough might build me a pair.

I will explain in detail each part of the concept: fitting, materials, design etc. But please be aware that I have never been a shoemaker or cobbler, so while I am fairly certain that the design would work and work well, it may still need tweaking in the material options or physical creation side of things.

The images have been watermarked for copyright but they should not get in the way of showing off the design.

Let us start at the base and work our way up to the finished concept. These two images below show the hoof cast part of the construction. The first is what the hoof cast would look like as the foot is slipped inside it and the second is a cut section showing where the foot fits inside the cast.

Basically what is needed is the base of a standard high heel boot (or shoe) with the heel removed and any material from the ankle upwards removed (an inner shoe). The hoof would be cast around this using acrylics or resin. Support is given to the heel using the same materials and would also create the main bulk of the hoof. The space between the outer hoof and the inner shoe would be filled tightly.

The outer hoof needs to be made from a hard material, but a softer and more comfortable material would be better for filling the gap between the outer hoof and the inner shoe. A silicone rubber or something similar would probably be optimal. It needs to be softer but also durable, heavy and quite solid to avoid the foot moving or rubbing on the inside the hoof. The space between the inner shoe and hoof would need to be filled completely and would likely need to be a tight fitting.

The base of the hoof would need a rubber plate or grip to make sure that when walking on a smooth surface such as concrete or hardwood floor, the wearer would keep their footing. Without any grip a person would end up slipping and tripping all over the place (please see the last image in this blog for a diagram of underneath the hoof and what the grip should look like in my opinion).

As you can see from the cut section image, the hoof resin would support the heel quite solidly when combined with the sole of a high heel. However, should more support be needed then a thin metal plate could be shaped and placed between the hoof resin and inner shoe for a stronger support.

Next we look at the leather sleeve.

The leather sleeve is essentially the upper part (from ankle to knee) of a standard pair of knee high boots with added leather to accommodate the ankles, the heel and to overlap a small portion of the hooves. This upper boot is sewn/attached directly to the foot opening of the hoof resin, roughly where you can see the dashes in the image signifying stitching. A small overlap of leather is then left to flap over the hoof so that the stitching is hidden. This gives the appearance of the hoof being more realistic.

Like any pair of knee high boots there will be a zip on the inside of the leg for ease of wearing and removing. The laces and buckles have a purely aesthetic value and would have nothing to do with the functioning of the finished item.

In this last image we see the design from a slight angle as well as the underside of the hoof to show off the grip.

If anyone can help me in the construction of this item, please let me know as I would be very eager to see my design made real. If you wish to use an image or create this design for your own purposes, in part or in whole, please ask. We will most likely be happy to condone it as long as we are fully aware of where and why.

Design and Concept ©2010 Aemilia Hawk. All rights reserved.
Artwork ©2010 Linda M Jones. All rights reserved.

Introductions: Scylla & Charybdis

Given my insatiable passion for hitting things with other things, it seemed appropriate for my loving submissive Benjamin to purchase me a pair of new floggers for my birthday.

Granted, my birthday is not for another month (28th October to be exact), but he had given them to me early because it had been arranged for them to be picked up from their creator at a recent event; and he could not resist my beguiling charm to use them at the same event (purely to make sure they functioned correctly, of course). Naturally, once they were in my hands, he could not take them back.

Due to the circumstance to which they were attained, as well as the humorous aspects pertaining to anyone who might feel their falls, they have been given the names Scylla and Charybdis. If you know your Greek mythology, you will know what I mean, but for those who do not, a helpful link has been provided (the ignorant will remain blissfully so).

Similar to Sasha, Tempest and Angele, only the most special of my items get given names and I will explain why these floggers are particularly special:

This pair of floggers have been custom made and designed according to my preferred specifications and intended as a gift for my birthday from my submissive (this should make them special enough, but there is more). The ball-handles (not to be confused with normal handles as they are used completely differently) have been made out of the same wood (dymond wood) that the handles of Sasha and Tempest had been made from, keeping to the uniform of the most special items in my continuing collection. Each have a 20 inch fall of soft black suede leather (this is a longer fall than normal, but my personal preference) and matching belt clips (made from the same leather) were also included.
During construction several hitches in the design were hit. One of which was the wood itself: Apparently dymond wood is quite fragile when compared to the woods normally used in the creation of flogger handles and because of this the ball-handle design needed to be changed. The creator (Jack’s floggers) came up with the unique design of adding steel pins through the core of the handles to make them strong enough to sustain through the inevitable beatings they will dish out.
The design proved so fiddly and annoying to complete that once the floggers were finished, the creator decided to abandon the idea of crafting any more; making these floggers the only pair currently in existence and highly unlikely to be reproduced without being incredibly expensive.

I have always been a flogger enthusiast and I have never seen a pair so beautifully made or better suited for me.

I love them.

And yes, before anyone asks, I know which is which and I can easily differentiate the two.

Thankyou Benjamin for my beautiful birthday twins.

All images are Copyright © 2012 AemiliaHawk. All Rights Reserved.

Introductions: Angele

While I am building quite a collection of equipment, (including items such as floggers, shibari ropes and urethral sounds) only the most special of items get given names. Usually these items hold incredible sentimental value and have been gifted for a very special reason or are of an insanely high quality. These items virtually have a living personality because they are so individual or unique that they require reverence, respect and need to be placed on a pedestal far higher than the standard fare.

To date, Sasha and Tempest are the only items of my arsenal that have been given names and Sasha is quickly becoming known as an individual. Anyone who has met her always refer to her by name instead of simply the item of equipment that she is.

Recently there has been two new additions to my family. Benjamin (uncollared as of yet, but has come further into my circle than anyone has in nearly 7 years) and Angele: A fully functional and refurbished vintage/antique violet wand. (a tribute from Benjamin to mark the occasion, no pun intended)

Benjamin has already been (and will very likely be in the future) in many of my blog posts (past entries include: DV8 Fetish Festival 2012: Overview, Urethral sounding, The best cruelty, 50 Vs 6 and Anything). This blog post, however, is to introduce Angele.

Angele:

An immense amount of thought and research went in to the choice of this item. She was chosen specifically for many reasons, including strength and high frequency output, aesthetic value, uniqueness and age.

She is a vintage/antique Vitalis 1880’s “Les rayons qui guerissent” model, which when translated from French means: “healing rays” (attempting to imagine what they would have produced if they had decided to create a wand to damage instead of heal has been the subject of recent wet dreams).

She has been named Angele (pronounced: “Ahn-jhel”) after the feminine French (equivalent) word for angel (masculine being ‘Ange’).
I thought a French name would be the most appropriate seeing as she was designed and created by a French company and subsequently would have been the country where she was built.

Despite being dated from the 1880’s (the exact year cannot be determined as the last digit of the model year has been worn away due to age), we have assumed that this printed date represents the Vitalis company and not the wand itself. Angele’s previous owner (bound2tease.net) has placed her birthday (date of construction) approximately in the 1930’s (this would make her around 80 years old). We are still researching into the company and model, but any help or information that anyone could give on ‘Angele’ or her creators would be greatly appreciated.

She has been fully restored with a black faux leather exterior and black cotton velvet interior. The original fascia is a kind of agate/marble effect bakelite, giving her an overall style and look that is similar to her new owner: AKA. Gothic Steampunk.

Her arsenal of attachments/electrodes include:

Curved throat electrode:
Usually used on the neck or throat but can be used on anything that is curved. Power rating: Medium to high.

Surface mushroom electrode:
Excellent for general massage. Power rating: Medium.

Saturation tube electrode:
Often used in secondary contact or intense massage. Power rating: High to strong.

Nerve brush electrode:
Designed to stimulate the skin and nerve endings under the skin. Power rating: High to strong.

Single eye electrode:
Originally used on the eyes (but now that we have reached the 21st century, we all know better. The original use of this attachment is now widely regarded as a very bad move. But it makes for a lovely smaller version of the mushroom attachment and works brilliantly on nipples). Power rating: Medium to high.

Spinal electrode:
Two points of contact for the back or spine. Can be very sensual. Power rating: Medium to high.

Comb electrode:
Designed for the hair (not advisable if you use flammable hair products, but safe otherwise) and back of the neck. Very sensual. Power rating: Medium to high.

Prostrate electrode:
Anal probe electrode. Excellent for getting into what would normally be inaccessible areas. Also makes for a good precision pointer. Power rating: Medium to high.

Condenser/Amplifier electrode:
A multipurpose electrode designed to intensify treatment and condense output to a specific area. Power rating: High to strong.

Fulgurator electrode:
Originally used for burning out warts and cauterising. Present day use of this attachment in BDSM play can include electrobranding. A fine wire tip end gives an intense array of sparks. Power rating: Strong to fearsome (It should come as no surprise that this attachment instantly became my favourite electrode).

Body contact pad:
Used for indirect and reverse techniques, where either you or your play partners entire body is electrified and literally becomes the attachment to the wand. Sparks fly from whatever body part you touch with or is touched.

I cannot express in words how perfect, splendid and marvelous she is.
These photos do not do her justice.
I hope to be making movies which will include her in action very soon.

All images are Copyright © 2012 AemiliaHawk. All Rights Reserved.