Unfamiliar Equipment and Failure
Last but not least, we will be discussing the importance of familiarizing oneself with the exciting equipment which can make or break a BDSM role play experience. Using bondage and/or SM equipment brings a new set of responsabilities to the table--not only must one be familiar with the equipment, but one must also know what to do when the equipment fails in order to preserve the safety of their partner and themselves.
Risk Factor Number Twelve: Playing with unfamiliar equipment. Few people learn to ride a bicycle in one attempt. Children progress from tricycles, to a bicycle with training wheels, and then to riding a bicycle—few make the leap from having no experience to riding a bike without falling. Like learning to ride a bike, becoming familiar with new bondage or BDSM equipment is a process of trial and error that hopefully involves at least a few hours of familiarizing oneself with the nuances of the equipment before incorporating it into bondage or SM play. One should be intimately aware of the equipment's shortcomings, safety releases and of any possible problems that may arise during use. Jay Wiseman recommends that until you "clearly understand how to apply and remove [the BDSM equipment], or how to raise and lower it, or how to make sure that it's securely locked into place" not to use the equipment in bondage or SM play. Although it may take a little extra time, safety usually pays off in the end.
Risk Factor Number Thirteen: Equipment failure. SM equipment is not foolproof. Occasionally an item of BDSM equipment simply fails for no apparent reason. Acknowledging the possibility of BDSM equipment failure and then constructing a plan to release the submissive if the equipment should fail, is a precursor to engaging in bondage or SM play with any equipment. Prevention can be as simple as having an extra set of keys on hand if you are playing with hand cuffs or locks, or as complicated as having a good pair of bolt-cutters, a hacksaw, and several high quality blades to round out a "get loose kit". Overhead eyebolts or screw-eyes tend to pull loose when the force of the pull is along the same axis as that in which the eyebolt or screw-eye is attached—if the screw-eye is placed directly above a suspended load, then it is more likely to fail than if the load is distributed amongst more than one screw-eye.
Knots have a habit of getting pulled too tightly during bondage play to be easily worked free. In this case it is a good idea to have EMT scissors on hand to cut through the rope, or a short thick knife if scissors are inaccessible. If nylon stockings are your bondage material of choice, be aware that nylon stockings can be pulled so tightly that it will be impossible for them to be untied especially if your submissive struggles during bondage. Metal bondage equipment is tricky, because when metal bondage equipment fails, getting the submissive loose could simply entail using a second pair of keys or in a more complicated arrangement—a hacksaw. Regardless of your preferences during metal bondage play, the "get loose kit" should include extra keys for any locks used, a good pair of bolt -cutters, a hacksaw and several high-quality blades, and related items (Wiseman, 79). Remember—it is better to take precautions and have the necessary materials on hand and never use them rather than to run into an emergency where you desperately need the tools you neglected to purchase. With any BDSM play keep in mind the "Take one more precaution than you think you need to" rule!
And that's all folks! Happy safe, consensual and sane play!