Knife Play (BDSM)

As her body trembles in anticipation, fear, and pain…she knows.

As the touch of cold steel entices a gasp…she knows.

As the blade dances its deadly ballet across her skin…she knows.

As the smooth edge traces the veins of her neck…she knows.

As she listens to her own heartbeat pounding in her ears…she knows.

As she holds her breath in anticipation…she knows.

As the blade bites into her skin, a ribbon of warm wetness forms…she knows.

As the welcomed darkness envelopes her mind…she knows

As her world floats away into the blissful peace of space…she knows.

As a gentle voice calls to her through the fog…she knows.

As a tender kiss is placed on her cheek…she knows.

As the warm glow of his smile finds it’s way though the darkness…she knows.

As his arms encircle her and hold her close…she knows.

As she feels his heartbeat beneath her cheek…she knows.

She knows…she knows the touch of her Master’s hand.

Knife play is one form of BDSM play that I consider to be a true art form. Knife play can elicit a vast menagerie of physical and emotional responses in a way that nothing else can. It can be sensation play, sensory play, role play, or pain play. The magic of knife play is limited only by the imagination of the individuals involved.

Knife play is considered by most to be edge play, no pun intended. Edge play is anything that will push the limits of most individuals or push the limits of safe, sane and consensual. Knives have been around for thousands of years; in one form or another, the knife was man’s most basic tool, and in time man has come to fear and respect knives a great deal. There are many people that have a fear of knives, and so for some people knife play is not an option, but for those that thrive on the adrenaline rush or love a good “mind fuck†then there is nothing so exhilarating as knife play.

Choosing a Knife

When you decide to add knife play into the adventure there are a few things that you must know, the first is how to choose your weapon of choice. A knife must be chosen carefully and with a little insight, keeping in mind that these things were meant to cause harm even death.

If this is your first knife keep in mind that you want functionality not fancy, that will come later. Everyone who gets started in knife play has eventually gotten that special knife, you know the one that sits on the shelf or only gets brought out on special occasions, I know I have one...ok maybe two. The first knife you choose should be for the purpose of play not for show, you can get the show piece later.

There are several things to look at when you choose a knife, construction, weight, material, size, blade, handle and price are the specific things that should be points of interest.

First the material, a good blade is made of steel. On most knives there will be a steel stamp on the blade itself; it will tell you the strength of the blade, I personally like 440 steel. You do not want to get a blade that has been plated, like a chrome or gold plated blade; sometimes the plating can chip off and will make a nasty irritant if it gets lodged inside a cut. Also the chrome plated knives are unsharpenable, believe me I have tried, I have almost sharpened a blade into a really cool tooth pick, it got a hole lot smaller but never got any sharper.

The handle should fit your hand. Try holding the knife in your hand, does the handle feel comfortable. I have actually had one knife that felt awkward unless you held it in one specific manner, it limited it’s use a great deal. Is the weight balanced; lay the knife flat and try and balance the knife on your extended finger, this will help you see where the mid point is and if the balance of the knife is acceptable. I have found that those knifes with a heavy handle I tend to have problems judging how much pressure I am putting on the blade. A handle that is too long will be awkward; one that is too short will be not give you the control you need. Also keep in mind any adornments on the handle like chains, spikes, ridges, or medallions run the risk of getting caught on things. Also make sure that you can get a firm grip on the handle, sometimes sweat and in this case blood can make the knife slippery, so try and keep that in mind when choosing your weapon of choice.

For your first knife the blade should be no longer than your hand. Measure the length of the blade by laying it flat against your hand, the blade should be no longer than the length from your wrist to finger tip. A blade that is too long will be awkward, although as you gain experience you will find you are able to manage more sizeable blades with ease. You want the blade to be simple; by this I mean you do not want one of those fancy two bladed knives like you see the super villains use on TV. You will not want the blade to be serrated, leave that one to the experts; also you will not want a double edged knife at this point either. As you become more familiar with the use of knives you can go to the more advanced blades, those with the interesting curves, or double edged, or even those that are decorative, each new style you explore will be an adventure for both you and your victim.

When choosing the blade please keep in mind you want it to be either extremely sharp or dull. The most dangerous knife you can have is one that is somewhat sharp, this is a knife that will cut sometimes and not at other times. You need to know exactly what to expect and be able to judge just how much pressure is allowed in order to get the desired effect; an improperly sharpened knife creates an unknown in an area that can be extremely dangerous. When you get a new knife you may want to dull the blade a little until you get used to the knife, I know …I know, it is sacrilegious to purposely dull a good blade. However until you know your tool you may want to ere on the side of caution. A safe way to dull your blade is to use steel wool; place the steel wool on a cutting board and gently pull the knife through the wool, as if you were cutting a loaf of bread. This will dull the blade without damaging it. A dull blade can always be sharpened, but a good victim is a pain to replace.

Make sure that the knife you chose is constructed well. Check where the blade and handle meet, is there any movement, is there a tight fit? A loose handle is annoying and can be dangerous. Also some knife handles are held in place by screws, check and see if the screws are tight, and will anything catch on them. If the handle is painted, make sure that the paint is intact and that there is no chipping or flaking; also check the paint and make sure it isn’t going to rub off on your hand. Make sure that there is no rust on the knife, even a high quality knife can get rust on it if it is not taken care of properly.

Price wise, a good knife will cost you between $100.00 and $200.00, although if you are a diligent shopper, as myself you can find a good quality knife for around $50.00 to $75.00. Anytime I see a knife for less than that I find I must question the quality of the knife. After you have become an artist with the knife you will drool over knives costing $300.00, $500.00, even $1,000.00 and perhaps even find yourself getting one of those “special†knives later on. You know one of those knives that has a jewel encrusted handle, a beautiful ebony handle with amethysts inlayed into the tip, and twisted ribbons of silver cascading down the handle in swirls of sparkling wonder…ah I had better stop, I am begging to drool again…

Care of The Knife

Once you have purchased your knife it is your responsibility to keep it in good condition. This isn’t much of a problem if you have purchased a high quality knife. A good steel knife with a high carbon content will not dull as a cheaper knife. You may need to do a little fine tuning every now and them. You will need a set of sharpening stones and some mineral oil, and an oil cloth, also a leather strap will be useful. Specifically you will want to get a medium and fine grain sharpening stone, a small bottle of mineral oil and a soft terry cloth or flannel piece that can be used to rub the oil in, the leather strap is used to put the final finishing touches on the blade. I know that sharpening your blade can be a tedious chore, but it is so much fun to have a submissive/slave tied up and make them listen to you sharpening that blade. He or she will hear the sound of steel against stone, and squirm, with each sound they know that the blade is getting sharper and sharper. You will want to oil your blade periodically, without oil the blade may rust, even an expensive blade. Simply put one drop of mineral oil on the blade and use the oil cloth to work the oil in. Never boil the blade or submerge the blade in oil, it may cause the oil to penetrate the metal and weaken the blade. Also make sure that if the knife came with a sheath that you return the blade to the sheath after each use. This will protect the blade as well as you, think about it…you start out rummaging around in your toy bag looking for something and end up in the emergency room having a knife extracted from your hand. You will sound kind of funny telling the ER nurse that it was just an accident, you didn’t even know the knife was there, it must have been tangled up in the flogger tails.

Cleaning The Blade

Since there is a risk that blood is involved with knife play, every safety precaution should be taken. It is imperative that you thoroughly clean the knife before each and every use, personally I clean my knife both before and after. Use alcohol or germicidal soap to clean the blade before each use. After you have finished make sure to clean the blade with either a medical cleaner or alcohol, do not boil your blade in any manner to sterilize it. Hospitals may use steam to sterilize their instruments but that is in an autoclave and the blades of their instruments are disposable, so if you don’t want your expensive toy to become disposable then don’t do it.

Safety Issues

Any time you plan to have a scene that blood may be drawn you need to take every precaution. First clean the area where you plan on playing, most of the time I use alcohol but I also have a 10 to 1 bleach solution that I use on the more sturdy items. It is a good idea to have your slave/sub take a shower before play, however I still clean the skin with alcohol as well. I actually do this for two reasons, the obvious is sanitary reasons the not so obvious is the effect the smell of alcohol has on my slave. The senses are some of the most powerful tools you have, if a slave/sub is blindfolded and they feel something cold and wet being poured on their back they think maybe water or perhaps oil of some kind, but when they smell the alcohol, BAAAMMM!!! Their mind knows what’s going to happen next. When the scene is finished clean your slave/sub thoroughly, even if all you did was create some deep scratches with the blade, when they feel the alcohol hit those scratches they will squirm. Make sure that you treat any cuts properly and promptly. Clean any toys, or apparatus that was used as soon as possible after the scene is finished.

Technique

Style, technique and skill come with experience; so do be preoccupied with getting it perfect. The different issues involved with technique are how to hold the knife, how to make a proper cut or scratch, how to maximize the effect of a knife within a scene and the safety issues involved with the different areas of the body.

How to hold a knife and how to make a proper cut or scratch? The way you hold a knife will vary depending on what effect you want. If you wish to lightly scrape the skin just enough to send shivers up and down your slave/sub’s spine then you want to hold the knife at a forty-five degree angle from the body, hold the knife gently as if you are an artist holding a paintbrush, and your slave/sub is your canvas. If you wish the scene to be more sensory oriented, first place the knife in a bucket of ice…as soon as the blade is frosty cold, lay the blade flat against the skin and drag the flat side of the blade along the skin while pressing lightly with your index finger near the tip of the blade. If you wish to make decisive shallow cuts then hold the knife firmly in your hand, lay the edge of the blade against the skin and pull the blade gently and slowly toward you, never push the blade…you will end up ripping or stabbing the skin.

What are some of the safety issues involved with the different areas of the body? When ever you use a knife there is always a safety issue, especially if you plan on making a deep cut. Never cut above the shoulders, there are too many close surface arteries as well as nerve endings in this area to safety make a cut of any depth. Do not cut within two inches of either side of the spine; also avoid the kidney area. Do not cut on the hands or feet, again too many nerves and tendons. Use extreme caution in the genital area, I don’t think many men will have an issue of you staying completely away from there, unless of course they have a castration fantasy. Do not make cuts in the joint areas, they tend to get infected and have a lot of trouble healing.

How to maximize the use of a knife within a scene? While the preparation for a knife play scene may be long and drawn out it is actually part of the scene itself, as the slave/sub helps clean the area and the equipment he or she knows that their blood may be drawn for the Master of Mistress’s amusement. This begins the mind fuck, it helps both you and your slave/sub get into the mind space you need to truly enjoy the magic of knife play. Make sure you have your slave/sub secured with restraints when you start to use the knife, nothing is more distracting than to have someone jerk all of the sudden and you end up stabbing yourself or them. One thing I like to do is put a candle near my workspace, and run the blade over it a few times, while my slave is still preparing the play area. When she is secured I will bring out a knife that I have had in the freezer for a while, she will feel the icy cold of the blade but think she is feeling the burning of a heated blade. I have even gone so far as to lay the knife I was heating on a steak so that the sound of the sizzling meat and the smell of cooking flesh would add to the mind game. The only limitation you will find when it comes to knife play is the boundaries within your own mind.