Punching to Modify Constrictors

The cork borers can be used to modify the liner material used for the constrictor. You want the constrictor to be pliable and compliant. One method of adjusting the constrictor's tension along its length is to put holes into the part of the latex tube used for the internal portion of the constrictor. This removes part of the latex. Using nice round holes discourages tearing in the latex under tension. I have found few things as good as cork borers for this task.

I was shocked when I priced cork borers, they have become outrageous! After a search revealed how unbelievably expense these things are if you try to purchase them from a laboratory supply house, I checked for alternatives. What found are leather punches. These are very similar in how they work, though more ruggedly constructed. Tandy Leather makes them in both a nice set with replaceable tips that is quite economical. Also individual steel punches, even some in interesting shapes like those which punch oblong holes. If you get the set be sure to get the Maxi one, as those holes are a much more useful, larger size.

For me a pattern of about 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch punched holes seem to work quite well. You can get quite artistic with the combination of holes and the punch pattern, but it all aims at the same thing, adjusting the tension produced by the remaining latex. I often punch two half-holes at each side of the liner material and then one hole in the center. This makes four holes around the perimeter of the constrictor at that point. Several lines of these holes cause the constrictor to be quite flexible and yet narrow. This allows for a wider range of accommodation in size. You could also space three holes across the width of the material. Alternating patterns helps avoid overly thin strips of latex between aligned holes.

Also the holes add some contouring or texture to the entrance part of the liner when under a bit of vacuum. You can clearly see this when the liner starts to expand. This improves the sensation in that critical area.

The cork borer needs sharpening at intervals. Being brass, it does not hold an edge well. And it needs a soft wooden backing for cutting as well to help protect its fragile edge. I use an oven mitt to pad my hand when using the cork borer to keep the small metal handle from bruising my palm. The cork borer is pressed into the latex evenly and rotated slightly. You can feel the cut and tell when you have cleanly gone through both layers of the latex. This process takes some care to avoid "hanging chads".

The resulting holes should be very clean and round, lacking any irregularities that would encourage tearing in use. The smaller cork borers focus the pressure and cut much easier than the larger ones.

Small and large holes can be mixed and spacing of holes can be changed to make the constrictor as flexible as required in each of its areas. You can test the result on the assembled receiver just by sucking a bit of vacuum on it. You will very quickly see the effect the constrictor design has on the response of the liner near the entrance area of the receiver.

I also like to use a fancy wavy cutter, a rotary blade type cutter from a sewing shop, which can make a nice slowly undulating end on the end of the constrictor tube that goes inside the receiver. This avoids a sharp ledge or bump where the constrictor ends. Pinking shears could also be used to make a toothed transition on the end of the constrictor. In fact the rotary wavy cutter is a fancy type of "pinking shears" replacement.

One can even stack constrictors, nesting them one inside the other with varying amounts of overlap and length. One effective method is to use a constrictor that just barely folds over the end, with just a 1/4 inch or so inside the tube. Ending up like a flat piece of latex with a hole in it. This is placed on top of a considerably longer constrictor that goes down into the receiver body, and specifically supports the O-ring. A long weak constrictor can be mounted inside a larger diameter, but shorter and stronger constrictor for an even more "staged tension" effect.

The size of the liner material used for the constrictor is a major issue. You want it to be as small as possible relative to the liner material. Problem is that as you try smaller and smaller material for the constrictor, relative to the size of the liner material, you rapidly end up with a hopelessly puckered liner where it tries to install through these smaller constrictors. One way around this puckering is to use a holed constrictor, made of smaller liner material than you would normally be able to get away with, but adjusted in tension by the presence of the holes.

You want to still end up with a nice smooth tunnel without folds or puckers at the entrance end. It can take some fiddling to end up with a constrictor that is effective over the right range of sizes and a liner of the correct size.

The smaller liner material like 188 and 175 are hard to make into constrictors for liner material like 225 and 250 without puckering and folding. Generally you can make a constrictor work with it being one size smaller than the inner tube if you are careful and get the end to end tension of the inner liner right, particularly if the constrictor is holed to adjust its tension.

The smaller liner material is also great for making the bands that secure the ends of the liner on the outside and keep the cap from popping off. It is worth having some 188 material just for this purpose alone.

The idea is to use the hole pattern, the removal of latex material, to adjust the tension created by the constrictor along its length. You have a very wide range of control with the hole pattern. In general you would want less tension as you move away from the entrance, further down into the tubular housing. The punched constrictor should be installed with the first line of holes near to the end of the tubular housing. The number and size of the holes can both be adjusted to get the desired effect. In use this will even texture the grip of the opening a noticeable amount, a secondary benefit.

Most people will find the 200 and the 225 liner material is right for them, at least for the primary liner. They make 300 liner material, that is three inches wide when flat. Given the range available it should be possible to configure any reasonable size for any reasonable level of erection for just about anyone.

Fortunately, the liner material is cheap. You can experiment with constrictor size with or without holes, and liner size with or without the O-ring support at. You can label and save your previously tried constrictors, they will last a long time vs. the liners which are subject to most of the environmental degradation. Dusting stored liner material with baby cornstarch before sealing it up in a Ziploc type bag will also help preserve it.

You can also try other materials for constrictors. The necks from giant balloons, for instance, are extremely compliant and can make very wide range, though weak, constrictors. But in the right sizes, combined with holed constrictors, they can end up making a very wide range adaptive constrictor combination. A large balloon neck also comes with a rolled nozzle area which can be included.

I have even made a liner for the liner. This was a second full-length liner made of slightly smaller material and punched along its entire center length with a pattern of  holes. Since it is not going to be the final liner that makes the seal, it can be as riddled with fancy hole patterns as might desire. This full length multi-holed liner is installed first with considerable end-to-end tension. Then the real, final liner installed inside it. The result is the holed liner also causes subtle bumps in the real liner when it tries to expand, and improves the sensations produced. It creates a texturing of the liner material when under vacuum. Vacuum formed bumps if you will. Personally, I think this works quite well.

I find that three sizes of liner material are quite handy. The largest would be selected to be a nice liner material for the chubbiest of erections. The next size smaller would be for the typical punched constrictor, or a short constrictor without punching. A still smaller size would be for the sections that are used for keeping caps from popping off and for retaining the liner on the entrance end. For a two-inch tubular housing you might use 188, 200 and 225 material. Or 188, 225 and 250 material for example. I find the 188 material perfect for making the outer bands on 2-inch housings.

12/03