Electrified Bit Gag and Spurs

I have previously ruminated on the possibility of eletrified gags, and today I finally made one! And it works! I was able to shock the crap out of my tongue and my soft palate by using a remote control shock collar and a few minutes of setup.

Okay, so let me back up a step. This post and project won't appeal to everyone. This project is more bondage pony/punishment pony, but I enjoy many types of pony play: from bio-equine training based to heavily BDSM based ponyplay. I try to put a mix of both here on cpony not just because I enjoy both, but also to let others know that both types exist and are equally valid. So, if BDSM pony play is not for you, then my next post on my experience as a demo ponyboy at the norcal kink ride might be more appealing (I will post it in the next day or two).

At first, I was puzzling over how best to run wires around the bit. I kept thinking it might be messy and worried about possibly chipping teeth. And then it hit me...copper tape, duh. I work with this stuff all the time, and yet for some reason it didn't occur to me previously. Copper tape is conductive, and, obviously, sticky, so it should easily stay in place. Also, it is pretty thin (not too much of a worry with the low currents involved with shock collars) and flexible, so not as great a risk for chipping.

All of these factors mean that I could essentially use the tape to place makeshift electrodes anywhere I wanted (e.g. next I will try putting two small squares of the tape on the bit itself so shocks will be delivered to the corners of the mouth). I also decided on using a shock collar instead of an e-stim unit because I wanted the ability to activate shocks by remote control, and I didn't happen to have any remote controlled e-stim units.

I decided that I would run the copper tape over a bit port instead of directly on the bit. I figured that way the shocks would be delivered both to my tongue and the roof of my mouth. Also, I really like bit ports (and other devices to restrict tongue movement), but you could certainly put the conductive tape directly on the mouthpiece of the bit itself if you don't like or don't wish to use a bit port.

Here is what I bought:

• A cheap (well the cheapest they had) remote shock collar - $80
• A roll of 1 inch width copper tape with non-conductive adhesive (important if you are going to stick it on metal, such as on spurs) - $8
• A tube of conductive glue - $8
• A roll of speaker wire (all they had, I would have preferred a thinner wire) - $10
• A bag of wire connectors of assorted sizes and shapes - $4

While I do already have a shock collar, I thought it might be a good idea to pick up another, cheaper model for me to use for these sorts of experiments. Buying another shock collar is not really necessary depending on your intended use (I wanted to remove the safety feature which stops shocking after 15 seconds for the electrified spurs). If you take away the expense of the shock collar, I only spent about $30 (before tax).

Before starting, I couldn't resist - I shocked myself a few times. Aside from having a little fun, I did want to get an idea for how intense the shocks were. After all, it was a new collar, and with the inexpensive models, the intensity can really increase non-linearly.

The first thing I did was remove the shocking unit from the shock collar. Then I cut a length of wire (3 feet so I could have flexibility in choosing where to place the shocking unit) and stripped the insulation from the first inch. I then placed ring connectors on one end of the wires and attached those ring connectors to the prongs of the collar's shocking unit (you just have unscrew to the prongs, thread the ring connector and rescrew the prongs).

After rigging that, I wanted to make sure the connections were good between the wires and collar, so I placed the bare ends of the other end of the wires on my arm and administerd a shock - ouch! It definitely works, and with the surface area of the bare wire being quite a bit smaller than the prongs (thus greater current density), there was a noticeable sting even on the lowest setting.

So, now for the bit. As I mentioned earlier, I decided to use a bit port, so I first cut an appropriate length of the copper tape, then sliced it lengthwise into three strips. I placed two of the strips side by side on the bit port such that they covered both the top and bottom portion of the bit port (don't want to forget about shocking the tongue). Remember you want to leave a small gap between the two strips of copper tape. If you don't leave some space, nearly all the current may flow from one strip to another resulting in no shock to the wearer.

Now for the final step. The conductive glue is not terribly strong, presumably being meant for thin wires. Because the wire I purchased was a bit too thick (it was all they had on hand when I went out today), I had to first place a small drop of standard glue to prevent the wires from popping off, then covering the wires with the conductive glue.

Time for another test on my arm. I place the bit port with its shiny new copper electrodes against my arm and press the button for a shock...nothing. Ah, right, the increased surface area of the copper strips reduces the current density meaning less sensation. Increasing the level to 3 resulted in a noticeable shock. I cranked it up to a 5 just to make sure it can still deliver pain - it can.

Here is a photo of the working electrified bit gag:

One more test is left: in the mouth. I'll confess to getting a little nervous at this point. Testing it on my arm is one thing, but having this electrified bit port deep in my mouth and being powered by a shock collar intended to be used on less sensitive skin seem like a whole other thing. However, I did spend a good portion of my day thinking up how to make it, going around to various places to pick up all the stuff I needed, and then actually making it.

So, I gingerly placed the bit in my mouth and buckled it in place. I picked up the remote and pushed the button before I could think about it and chicken out. Extreme pain! I had left the remote set to 5 (out of 10) from when I was testing it on my arm (and at a five it was painful on my arm) This is no joke, it hurt...seriously hurt.

After the shock wore off (cheap pun, I know), I was quite pleased with myself. The electrified bit had worked perfectly: both my tongue and roof of my mouth got shocked.

Nevertheless, tt took quite a bit of willpower to shock myself again (though this time with the power set to 1). While nothing close to the first shock, this one still hurt quite a bit, but was more in line with my original expectations.

I have to say, this device is very effective. Getting a shock like this would stop me in my tracks, especially if it came as a surprise. Along those lines, I'm not sure that I'm going to tell T about this new invention. I trust her, but something like this...well maybe if I can figure a way to have the power maxed out at 3 or 4. I cannot believe this thing goes all the way up to 10.

Since we don't incorporate much spurring into our ponyplay (simply because there is usually not a lot of riding going on), my trainer uses the spurs I use on my bio-horses, which are rounded (see photo top right). Don't get wrong, getting jabbed in the ribs with these will certainly get my attention, but sometimes I feel like getting poked with a sharp stick.

However, I never really liked the idea of having sharp, pointed spurs used on me. Not because I don't like some occasional pain, but rather, I don't really want any scarring from play. Moreover, I'm geerally not into drawing blood.

A shock collar does not leave you bleeding; it doesn't leave any permanent marks (I say permanent marks because somestimes (when being used heavily), it can leave little red marks that typically go away within a few minutes to a few hours), so I made a quick electrified version (last photo at right).

It works quite well. The contact area of the copper tape is small enough that you can get a reasonably high current density, and a noticeable shock. The only downside here is that you have press the shock button at the same time you are applying the spurs. Another option would be bypassing the collar's safety feature (which prevents shocks longer than 15 seconds) and have the collar applying a voltage continuously (though the pony would only feel the shock when the spurs are applied).

I'm sure there are many other possibilities here than just electrifying spurs and bits, but these are the two I made today, and both work quite well. I wanted to share my excitement in getting these to work. Both will need a little refinement to make them a little easier to use in normal play, but mostly for aesthetics.

I'll definitely post an update when I have the next generation of electrified bits and spurs.