Rope Bondage FAQs & Nawa-Go Blogspot

Jade Rope maintains Nawa-Go - the "Language of Rope" blog to provide rope enthusiests with current news and intereting information on the world of rope bondage.

Please also enjoy our Rope FAQs below:

All About Rope

 

Hints and Tips on Rope Length

Unless you desire to stay true to the traditional 7 metre (23ft) utilised in Hojojutsu, length is best determined by two factors:

1. The person you are planning to tie
   Larger bodies will require more rope, and smaller bodies less rope to complete the same binding.
2. The type of tie you wish to carry out
   Some ties – like wrist bindings – can be completed with a piece of rope only 1.5 metres (5ft) long, whilst full body ties can demand 21 metres (69ft).

Even western nawashi (rope artist¹) who prescribe to traditional methods recommend that the standard 7 metre rope length is extended to 8 metres to allow the person tying to complete ties on western body shapes; rather than risk running out of rope.

NOTE
1. Nawashi actually means ‘maker of rope’. In Japanese SM circles it is used to identify particularly experienced masters who have undergone years of formal training in Hojojutsu. In the west the term was first popularised to mean ‘rope artist’ and many riggers who have practiced shibari or kinbaku for even a short period of time will refer to themselves - or others who practice rope based bondage - as nawashi. Whilst this is strictly incorrect in the culture that gave rise to the term, a decade of use outside of Japan means that ‘nawashi’ is more commonly used to refer to someone who practices Japanese influenced bondage.   

Hints and Tips on Rope Diameter

The main benefit for utilising a wider diameter of rope is that the extra thickness enables pressure to be dispersed across a larger section of skin. This greatly assists in preventing possible harmful situations. However, it is really only Fusion (western bondage) that chooses diameters of rope above 8mm.

The traditionally influenced disciplines of Shibari and Kinbaku achieve this distribution of pressure by typically tying with rope lengths doubled back upon themselves. This way a 5mm rope actually covers a 10mm area and if a second turn is utilised this is built out to 20mm.

The disadvantage of utilising a wider diameter of rope is the greater diameter increases the size of knots. Consider that a knot normally occupies three to four thicknesses of rope. If you triple 5mm you have 15mm; triple a 10mm diameter rope and you’re looking at knots of 30mm or more. This can actually be extremely uncomfortable for the person being tied and is also less visually impressive.

Is One Kind of Rope better than another?

In certain circumstances there are better choices of rope, however, it is important to clarify that both the rigger’s intent and the desired tie/technique being utilised impact on which qualities define a rope as being more or less suitable to a particular use.

For example, cotton is not a great choice for suspension because it is weaker than the other natural fibre ropes and it tends to jam knots when they are placed under load. If you are only looking at ground based ties cotton may be preferable over synthetic rope because it will not cause rope burn as easily, and it has a warmer natural feel.

The same arguments can be made even when excluding the type of rope fibre. Twisted rope is often criticised because in some complex ties the rope strands can open (twist apart) while braided rope is more secure. While this is a benefit for braided rope many players enjoy the pattern that twisted rope leaves on the skin after it is untied – the admiration of which can form a significant part of experience of being bound.   

What Kind of Rope should I buy?

There are many types of rope fibres that are good for bondage, and ultimately, as you become more experienced you will develop your own preferences. If, however, you are a beginner Jade Rope only offers rope that is ideal for bondage. Peruse our rope products for sale to learn their individual qualities and find out what might suit you best.

We recommend you avoid the following types of rope:

• Sisil Rope
  Sisil is extremely weak, and does not condition well. You will have a stiff, scratchy rope until it falls apart. 
• Manila Hemp (this is not actually hemp at all).
  A lot of cheaper ‘100% hemp rope’ on the market is actually this ‘manila hemp’ which is actually banana plant and not as strong as proper hemp, and manila will not last as long.
• Polypropylene Rope – unless it is MFP (multi-filament polypropylene).
  While multifilament polypropylene is a nice choice for bondage, polypropylene can be manufactured very cheaply and non-mfp rope has an extremely plastic feel. It also isn’t very flexible and will not hold knots well.

 

Ordering & Payment

I wish to place an order, when will you charge my payment card?

At Jade Rope we use PayPall to process your credit/debit card. Your funds will be held in PayPal until we are ready to dispatch your goods.

The only exception is if you are placing a pre-order or buying an item on back-order. In both of these instances we will confirm availability of the goods from our suppliers, place the order and then wait up to seven days before charging your card. Usually within this time the item(s) arrive into our care and we charge your card as we dispatch them to you. Please bare in mind that pre-ordered items can take up to 2 to 3 weeks, especially if they are a customised order.

What happens if my goods arrive and they are faulty or broken?
You will need to contact us within seven days of your order arriving. Once you have contacted us, we can arrange for the return of faulty/damaged item(s) for replacement or a full refund. Please see our Returns Page for full details.

Note: If we are unable to dispatch a replacement item then we will advise you on the alternative products or when an exact replacement will be available from our suppliers.

What happens if I receive different goods to what I ordered?
On very rare occasions you may receive the wrong items. If this happens, contact us immediately and we will do what we can to rectify the situation. Normally you will need to send the items back to us first before we can send out replacement(s).

• Include a copy of your postage receipt and we will refund you the postage costs
• Please use a courier or registered post to avoid any 'it hasn't arrived yet' problems

If you are in a hurry we can send out a replacement immediately, however, we will need to charge you for the items in transit, i.e. temporarily charge you for the goods that are in the post. When the returned goods arrive back with us we will cancel the extra charge on your card and refund your postage. To do this we require that you replace your order so that we can ship immediately.

What happens if I don't like the goods and need a different length/colour?
Make sure the items are in an unused, saleable condition and return them to us. Because this was not an error on our behalf, you will have to cover the extra postage involved. Once we have the product returned to us we will then be able to credit you for the goods or dispatch a replacement to you.

Note: if stock is not available for your preferred length/colour option then we may not be able to dispatch a replacement. We can advise you on a different product and send that out, charging/refunding your card as required.

What happens if I have a warranty problem with a product?
We will need to see the item and make sure that the problem was in fact a manufacturer's fault. Original proof of purchase will be required. With some manufacturers it can take some time to get the product back from them for the purposes of the warranty.

What happens if a product I have ordered is out of stock?
Sometimes our stock record can differ to what is in our warehouse. If there is an availability problem then we will contact you as soon as we can. We can refund your card or find an alternative size/colour/product for you. There is also the option to await our next delivery

TAXES
All products that are subject to taxes will be taxed at the applicable rate. Please navigate to our Orders & Payments page that is relevent to the Jade Rope store you are purchasing your goods through.  In all cases the prices shown on this website are inclusive of taxes. Any tax will be separated out and clearly displayed during your checkout. Please be aware that Jade Rope is currently not required to be registered for VAT within the UK and Europe and therefore no VAT will appear on any purchases made within the European Union.

None of the above affects your rights under statutory law.