Spanking Intent or Maple V. Ash

It's odd the way unexpected things can serendipitously trigger memories and stories that relate to development of key aspects of your life. I'm beginning to catch up on reading Blogs of friends whose writings I haven't looked at while I've been recuperating from my surgery. One of those that I enjoy is Hermione's Heart. I think Hermione enjoys spanking and is as endlessly drawn to it as I am. A few days ago she wrote a semi-tongue in cheek post exploring the comparative attributes of spanking paddles made of maple vs. ash ("Watch out for Splinters" ). It is not difficult to imagine a Canadian's desire to explore the potential superiority of maple as the prime component of a highly prized implement:) Oddly this triggered a long dusty memory from the early days of my becoming a practitioner of adult consensual spanking.

When I first became serious about focusing on spanking women as a key aspect of my life, I developed a "toy bag." My early toy bag consisted of all manner of everyday things, intended for other purposes, diverted to the end of spanking friends and paramours. There were the classic ping pong paddles, tomato stakes, and lovely brown very slender, whippy plastic rods that lawn spray companies left in our lawn with warning tags on them when they sprayed our lawn with chemicals. There were mixing spoons, and a wooden slapper, that was actually a percussion implement from an orchestra, used to make the sound of a whip crack (Jingle Bells) or even a gun shot. It was shaped very like a paddle, and I glued the two slats of hinged wood that were intended to smack together, so they formed a solid slender paddle about 3/4of an inch thick. The unfortunate women whom I spanked with it frequently howled and cried. I was too new to realize it would always leave dark, deep, lasting bruises on the bottoms it smacked. I learned that (I wish sororities and fraternities would learn this) 3/4 inch thick dense wood is not a spanking paddle, but a club, and should not be used to strike human buttocks, unless you are desirous of harming the people you are hitting as well as inflicting pain. Of course, too, there were several belts: belts that were meant to hold up pants not spank bottoms, and so on. I had visited a local lawn and garden farm supply store too, and found a virtual treasure trove. There I picked an actual riding crop, dogging bat, and dressage whip. I am sure most spanking practitioners go through this early stage of gathering everyday "stuff" which they have long fantasized about using to administer spankings, into a supply of "spanking implements."

As my experience, and eventually my training and development evolved, it occurred to me that a key aspect of how a bottom partner experienced a spanking was the intent of the spanker. The effect of the spanker's intent on a spankee's resulting experience is an undeniable truth. Thus, it occurred to me, that if one used a strap, or paddle, or whip, or rod, that was specifically designed, and fabricated for the express purpose of inflicting corporal punishment, then that fundamental aspect of the spanking, the implement used, would communicate and enhance the crucial "spanking intent" dynamic.

I began collecting professional quality spanking implements. Included were my very first floggers, whips, canes, straps, and last, but totally not least (in fact most:) my favorite spanking implement genre....PADDLES. Early on there was the question of how to find spanking products. The Internet was not as developed as it is today nor were the spanking community's businesses.

I came to know about Hanson Paddle Company. I am not sure if I discovered Hanson via a referral from someone, or if I simply encountered them online. Hanson Paddle manufactured a wide variety of high quality spanking paddles: paddles composed of all sorts of woods and synthetic materials, in every shape and size, with and without holes. I was still married in a totally vanilla marriage with a wife who wasn't open to missionary position sex, let alone consensual spanking, so there was the question of where to have online purchased materials delivered. I used my then office and made sure that I timed my orders so the deliveries would arrive on Friday or the weekend. These were times when I could get to the mail before anyone else and pull my deliveries out before they were discovered. (Hmmm......why would the Executive Director have ordered two or three different full size spanking paddles of different woods and some sort of clear acrylic material? Wouldn't that have been sweet to try to explain?).

As I embarked on all this, I found myself confronted by an array of options. Paddles of various sizes, shapes, woods, and a synthetic called lexan, that I became fascinated with(and am to this day)were among the options for me to choose from. I had not the experience to make an informed choice. Hanson Paddle Company published their phone number on their website. I phoned, and lo and behold, none other but the guru of paddles and spanking technique, John Hanson, answered the phone. He was as personable as an old friend I was renewing a relationship with.

In one of my prospective acquisitions I was considering ordering a classic Spencer-style full sized paddle of Hard Rock Maple. I've always had a thing for maple. I love maple flavor, and especially pure maple syrup (something my health has not permitted me to eat for a dozen years or more.) Likely this is my Canadian heritage bleeding through. I inquired of John Hanson about the attributes of a maple spanking paddle. He told me the wood was beautiful, dense, and heavy, but there was one characteristic that could be a problem. You see, Maple tends to shear along the grain with impact. It was not uncommon for maple paddles to split and break length-wise. Link to our post about our broken paddle. I asked about a better alternative and he told me ash was a better and more resilient option. I purchased a half inch thick Spencer-style ash paddle with holes, a paddle I still own proudly today. I have used that paddle a great deal and it is totally resilient. I don't use it much any longer preferring lighter, thinner (often synthetic) paddles today, which create greater sting, less thud, and a great deal less bruising and potential for skin breakage.

So yes, Hermione, they do make ash paddles, and they are functionally superior to maple. It is interesting that major league baseball has come to learn what John Hanson could have told them long ago. Baseball bats of maple will break readily on impact and ash bats will endure impact.

Hermione, you see, your frivolous maple vs. ash paddle post sent me down a memory maze that has enabled me to write my first post-surgical spanking related post.

All the best to everyone,

Tom

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you've imagined.