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BDSM Dictionary : Scaffolding: history
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This entry is part of the BDSM Dictionary hosted by Informed Consent.
Scaffolding is a temporary framework used to support people and material in the construction or repair of buildings and other large structures. It is usually a modular system of metal pipes (termed tubes in Britain), although it can be made out of other materials. Bamboo is still used frequently in Asia.
Scaffolding is also one of the most versatile bits of BDSM kit you can buy. A relatively small amount of scaffolding can be used to construct an almost endless variety of kinky bondage furniture. It has the additional advantage that at the end of the scene it can be dismantled, stored easily, and looks relatively innocent.
It is possible to use builders' scaffolding but this tends to be heavy and the connectors have lots of sharp points and edges which can cause injury.
A better choice is to use high quality aluminium scaffolding; used by industry to construct more permanent installations. If you don't mind the extra weight you can also use steel tubing. The most common dimension for tubing is 48.3 mm (about 2"). It is however possible to get other sizes which can be useful if storage space is at a premium (26.9mm is a good size). The disadvantage is that it will not be as strong and more care will need to be taken to ensure that any structures built are capable of supporting the loads placed on them.
A budget of about £300 - £400 will buy enough stuff to construct a wide range of bondage and suspension frames.
As a price guide, aluminium tube cost about £8.80 a metre and the fittings average about £4.70 each (inc VAT).
A suggested set would include;
Poles
Fittings
The Insex website (now defunct) made extensive use
of scaffolding in their scenes. A large archive of
images which gives an idea of what is possible is available and can
frequently be found on the usenet
(alt.binaries.pictures.erotica.bondage).See also
(This entry in the BDSM Dictionary incorporates text from the Scaffolding article in Wipipedia.)
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