by
Robin
Hanson PaddleWerks

My first experience with caning occurred in 1990. I had fantasized about it for a few years before but thought that it was one of those advanced "scenes" that only a few experienced and very heavy players participated in. I thought that I would have to wait for a few years before I had enough experience and pain tolerance to engage in the activity.

Chicago Hellfire Club once sponsored SM University, which was a series of
workshops and seminars that were available to the general public at a local
leather bar. John Hanson was a presenter on more than one occasion. It just so happened that John gave a seminar on Corporal Punishment at the A.A. Meat Market, a now defunct leather bar on Lincoln Avenue in Chicago. I was the "volunteer" demonstratee for the seminar. John wanted to give a seminar that encompassed all methods of spanking and corporal punishment and wanted to include caning in his discussion. He didn't feel that he was
accomplished enough to speak intelligently about it so he asked his friend Kurt to talk about the subject and to demonstrate technique. I leaned against the back wall of the jam-packed back room of the bar while he talked about technique waiting for what was, in my mind, one of the ultimate scenes of SM.

My butt was well used throughout the seminar. It had already been assaulted by paddles, razor strops and various spanking instruments so it was already warmed up and ready for the cane. Kurt finished talking and turned his attention to the actual demonstration. He stood at my left side, tapping my butt with the cane while talking about where he wanted it to land and which areas he would avoid striking with the cane. He asked me if I was ready. then whisked the cane behind himself and propelled it toward me. It whistled as it flew through the air until it made contact with my flesh. I drew a deep breath at the moment of contact in response to extreme pain. My pulse and respiration slowed dramatically. I was hooked. Caning instantly became my favorite of all SM activities. Even now that I have become almost intolerant of most spanking implements, (Yes I've become what I consider a wimp) I still love the feel of a cane and all the wonderful sensations that it sends through my body.

The following summer I was privileged to have a man from England as one of
my roommates at Inferno, a weekend run thrown by the Chicago Hellfire Club. I managed to work out a caning scene with him on that Saturday afternoon. It was one of my most memorable experiences in my entire SM "career". His approach to caning was English. He wanted me to count sixes throughout the scene. I thought it was rather silly to count as he demanded, "One SIR Thank you SIR! May I have another SIR!" Half out of breath after each blow, I counted, "Five SIR! Thank you SIR! May I PLEEEASE have another, SIR!" I don't know why it happened but we both began to laugh. I would miscount just so that he would have an excuse to start a set of sixes over again. We both lost count but he told me that he stopped counting at 166 and that I was the second heaviest person that he had ever played with.  I never considered myself heavy at anytime during the scene. I was having fun and enjoying the sensation that the cane gave as it tore into my flesh.

I began to feel that I would like to learn to use the cane myself. To what I
learned from Kurt I added all the other techniques that I learned from John
(England). I practiced for months before I felt comfortable caning a human. I wanted to do it right and do it so effectively that it would dazzle any bottom as John had dazzled me that Saturday afternoon.

There are more questions asked about caning than all other spanking subjects combined. It is my goal in this article to answer the most commonly asked questions. You may find that I am boorishly opinionated and that my
comments may not agree with the opinions of other people. I am not going to apologize for this because I feel that I have learned from the best. I am only repeating, in my own words, what I have learned from them.

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Equipment

I prefer using peeled rattan that is about 30 inches long. Hanson Paddle
Company stocks 20, 30 and 36-inch canes and can order other lengths by
special order. I do not like Kooboo (unpeeled rattan) because I have found that the bark chips and embeds in the skin. I never, never, never use Bamboo. It is dangerous. There is no way to keep it from splitting. Bamboo cuts like a razor when it splits and the splinters from Bamboo spear the flesh, sending the splinter dangerously deep into the flesh. I use plastic canes on occasion but I make sure that the plastic is actually made of polycarbonate. The common trade name for polycarbonate is Lexan. It is virtually unbreakable. Other plastic products are pretty but they do not stand up to serious caning and break unpredictably which is dangerous. Braided handles are pretty but they are expensive and are a waste of time. Rattan breaks no matter how it is cared for. I got sucked into buying a cane with a beautifully braided handle back in my early days. I never use it because I don't want to lose the 40 bucks that I paid for it. It hangs on my playroom wall, unused, making a very nice decoration. If you feel you need to buy something beautifully braided, save your money and buy a beautiful flogger or single tail whip. Either will last for lifetime if you care for it properly. A cane with a braided handle won't.

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Soaking a cane

Soaking rattan in water makes it's heavier and more whippy. But it presents
control problems. I prefer using rattan in its dry state. People believe that
soaking the cane makes it more flexible and that it will be less likely to break
during use. This is true but you pay for it later when the cane dries out.
Repeated soaking destroys and weakens the fibers. If you decide to soak your canes, make sure that you dry your cane slowly, away from a direct heat source and direct sunlight. Our importer tells us the rattan's worst enemies are water and direct sunlight.

People hear about soaking rattan in boiled linseed oil. I guess it has something to do with English tradition. I don't do it because linseed oil never dries completely and leaves a tacky feel behind. I imagine that the tacky coating makes a good surface for collecting all sorts of nasty things like dirt,
dead skin cells and bacteria. Most oils are bacteriostatic, which means that
bacteria do not multiply but I still feel uncomfortable with the idea of using
them.

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Coating with varnish

I think it's a bad idea. People think that it is cleanable and, hence, makes the cane usable on more than one person. Forget this notion immediately! Rattan flexes constantly during use. The varnish cracks, even if you don't see the cracks. Body fluids will be absorbed though the cracks that may carry disease.

Our importer tells us that soaking rattan in one part water based  polyurethane and two parts water will increase the strength of the cane. It makes sense since the drying polyurethane becomes part of the cane. I've tried this. The cane becomes stiff and less responsive than a dry cane is. It's a great idea if your building furniture with rattan.

One cane, one person. Be safe!

Show your bottoms or subs that you love and care for them. Never use a cane on more than one person. Rattan is like a sponge. It readily absorbs body fluids, which can transmit disease. Yes, the body fluids are there even if you don't see them. You can never clean rattan adequately enough to destroy the entire mass of microorganisms than it absorbs. I consider caning to be a blood sport like piercing or cutting. Would you use a needle on one person then again on another? Do you want your doctor to give you an injection with a needle that he used on the patient before you? That's what you would be doing by using a cane on more than one person. Rattan cane is cheap. Life is precious.

I give the canes I use on a person to that person to keep. If they are unable to keep the canes themselves, I write their name on them with a marker and store them away from fresh canes. I suggest wrapping them in plastic once completely dry. I often destroy canes after using them. I do this in front of the bottoms so that they know that I will not use a used can on them.

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Which thickness of cane is right?

Hanson Paddle Company sells five diameters of cane. In general, the smaller
the diameter, the stingier it will be. Smaller canes work the surface; larger
diameter canes work more deeply. All canes can cut and bruise; larger canes are less likely to cut but will bruise more deeply. I use all diameters, often in one scene. Hanson Paddle Company sells a "Rattan Bundle" which is made of five canes chosen from the three most commonly ordered cane sizes.

Practice!

Tie a rope around the middle of an old bed pillow then shape it so that it
approximates the shape of a human buttocks. (I almost completely destroyed a bed pillow before I felt comfortable using a cane on a human. )

Aim the tip of the cane so that it seems that the tip of the cane will land on
the middle of the buttock farthest away from you. Your arm will extend as you swing, bringing the cane farther than your aim point. You do not want to "wrap" around the side of the hip. "Wrapping" is at the least, very unpleasant for most people. It can be dangerous if done on a skinny or delicate person. This is more of a concern when caning a female because the bones of the hip are thinner, more delicate and more exposed than on a male.

The "snap" that we all hear about is what sets the experienced caner apart
from the novice. The "snap" is made with a slight flick of the wrist just before the cane makes contact with the body. It speeds up the movement of the cane, intensifying the experience.

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Where to cane

To be safe, keep it on the buttocks or upper thighs, making sure that you do not strike unprotected bone or connective tissue like tendons and cartilage. Use your common sense! If a person is well muscled and they have good solid protection on other parts of the body, I will use a cane there. I like to cane the thighs, front and back. The abdominal wall, if the person is in good physical shape, and sometimes on the pectoral mass, making sure that I avoid the sternum. I personally like to be caned on the pectoral muscles. Avoid caning female breasts. Repeated blows there can result in tissue damage and ensuing health problems.

How does caning feel?

It's a different sensation for each individual. I like to describe it as an almost electrical orgasm of pain that travels through the entire body. A well-placed strike with good force can set the body into flames of orgasmic pain that is almost addictive. It is one of the most intense feelings that anyone will have in the SM experience that makes for an endorphin rush that is almost immediate and intense. I get "high" when I am being caned.

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Timing is the dance

I used to watch a man named Guy Baldwin while he used a flogger. He danced with the flogger; whirling it through the air above his head and around him; only occasionally striking the bottom. My immediate thought was that he was a pretentious buffoon. I was a fool to think that. I learned that his dance did many things for both his bottom and for himself. It was a way of developing rhythm and intensifying the swing. It helped him to precisely position his blow and it gave the bottom time to recover from each blow and anticipate the next one. The man is an artist with a wonderful sense of timing and rhythm.

I also watched another man as he viciously flogged his slave. BAM! BAM! BAM! There was nothing remotely erotic about it. The slave cried. The top appeared to be void of emotion and compassion for a man who trusted him with his life.  It was a complete turn off for me. In fact, it made me angry. The slave was suffering without being given time to enjoy what was happening to him.

I believe that SM in any of its forms is supposed to be an erotic activity. That means that whatever we do should be done with care and compassion. We should have a positive connection with people we play with and we should have an even deeper connection when the scene is over. We can only do this by turning the senses on and trying to never overload them to the point where we lose our ability to cope with what we are doing.

As I said earlier, timing is everything. The pain resulting from caning travels
through the entire body. It is absolutely necessary to allow the bottom time to feel that pain to the fullest and then feel it subside before being struck again. I would generally say that it takes twenty seconds to a minute for this to happen. Sometimes, I will tease with a series of rapid strikes but them I will wait at least a minute or two before continuing. This gives an intense spike to the scene that borders on overload and then a period of recovery.

One of the most enjoyable canings that I ever experienced was with John
Hanson. He had me tied spread eagle on the bed. He watched the clock as he
read an article from Drummer Magazine about an intense bondage and corporal
punishment scene. Watching the clock, he struck me with a cane approximately
once a minute. He swung the cane in the air, making snapping and whizzing
sounds around me while reading. I never knew when it would strike. I would
anticipate a strike that never came and then get caught off guard and
surprised when the cane made contact. We did this for about an hour and a
half. The scene was intensely erotic and fun. The great thing about it was that
I was given time to feel the entire gamut of effects from each blow then given
time to anticipate the next one.

SM is supposed to be fun. Something is dreadfully wrong if you feel any other
way about it.

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Care of the bottom after caning

If you're really nasty, you can pour Isopropyl Alcohol (70% - standard rubbing alcohol) over the entire area. Stand back while the person squirms and screams.

I usually take a shower using a moisturizing anti-bacterial soap then keep the
area moisturized with a non-greasy moisturizer. I try to wear as few clothes as
possible. If I am able to stay home after a butt ripping scene, I don't wear
clothes at all. I have often found that I needed to wear two pairs of briefs
under clothes for the first day or two after a very heavy caning scene while the
cuts heal. Granted, few caning scenes get so heavy that the butt will look like
hamburger but it is still essential that you clean and care for the area until
you're sure that the body is well on it's way to repairing itself.

I think I have gone over all the bases, but as I write this closing statement, I
feel sure that I've missed something important. Please contact me if you have
concerns that I have not addressed here. If you think I'm full of BS or have
specific concerns that you feel I have misaddressed, e-mail us.

Be safe and HAVE FUN!

 

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