Cleave Gags and Bondage

I am sure you are saying to yourself...what else can he say about gags?  To me, gags are what makes fetish bondage erotic.  I don't know why, but they just are.  Perhaps it is the looks that the heroine gives when they know they can't talk.  Perhaps it is the mmmpphhing sound that the heroine makes when gagged, which can sound very sexual.  Perhaps it is eliminating the heroine's greatest strength, her ability to communicate.  Perhaps it is the excitement and frustration of the heroine when rescue is so near if only her gag didn't prevent her from crying out.  It is probably all of these combined.  For me, gags are the most important part of bondage.  Yes, I am a gag snob.

Having enjoyed fetish bondage for more years than I prefer to think about and having produced bondage pictures and videos for about 15 years, I have studied the science of gags and gagging.  So I wanted to comment on different types of gags.  This is about cleave gags.  Just cleave gags.  Not knotted cleave gags or stuffing plus cleave gags.  Just cleave gags. [I commented on ballgags in an earlier journal.]

A cleave gag is probably the most iconic gag.  The white handkerchief tied between the teeth of a beautiful woman, perhaps with her red lips wrapped around it and her eyes pleading with you.  What bondage lover wouldn't love that.  [Okay, perhaps those that are tape lovers or ballgag  lovers...I know, fetish likes are very specific.]

Cleave gags are basically bit gags and are typically cloth, although equipment cleave gags (made of metal or rubber) and tape cleave gags are also possible.  Here we will deal with the more typical cloth cleave gags.  Tightly tied in the mouth they make talking difficult, but generally not impossible.  The amount of muffling they do depends a lot on how thick the gag is.  Interestingly, the thicker the cleave gag, the less secure it can become because the mouth is forced wider open and mass of the gag is further out of the mouth.  This makes it easier to dislodge the gag.  A thinner cleave gag, while less effective, is much more secure as it will be tied deeper in the mouth.  Less chance of it being pushed out of the mouth.  

Cleave gags are probably the most 'natural' of gags.  By that I mean that they are the easiest to apply.  Even if the woman is struggling, it is easier to get cloth between her teeth and knot it behind her head than to apply other gags.  If the heroine resists and keeps her mouth closed, tightening a cloth over her mouth will cause her lips to naturally part, her mouth to open and accept the gag.  This certainly doesn't mean that it is the best gag, however.

The knock on cleave gags is that they aren't effective enough.  While this is probably true to an extent, I think that this complain is a bit overblown.  Everyone wants the heroine to be unable to attract attention to herself when a rescuer is a couple feet away.   No gag is that good.  With extremely effective gags, the heroine might not be heard in the hallway when she is in a bedroom with a closed door.  But what if the goal is for the heroine not to be heard on the street when she is in a back bedroom of a house?  Perhaps a simple cleave gag is sufficient.  The required effectiveness of the gag depends on the situation.  So there are times when a cleave gag by itself is sufficient.

So what makes a good cleave gag.  Men's handkerchiefs, bandannas, and women's square scarves are often used as cleave gags.  They all have one advantage.  They are typically folded into a triangle and then either rolled up or folded into a band before being applied to the mouth.  This puts the thickest amount of material in the mouth.  Of these, bandannas are perhaps the best to use as a cleave gag,  They represent a good balance of thickness and are easy to tie tightly.  Some scarves would be just as effective.  Some handkerchiefs would be too small to be easily tied in the mouth.  Larger handkerchiefs can approach or equal bandanna size.  The best handkerchief gags are cotton.

Another frequently used cleave gag is some type of cloth strips or long scarf, often rather narrow (particularly on TV or in the movies).  Unless these are wrapped around the head more than once, they are the less effective cleave gags (unless they are thick).

As almost any cloth can be used as a cleave gag, one has to consider nylon hose or pantyhose...average, but only if they are wrapped multiple times around the head and tied very tightly.  Women's tights would be better because of the thicker material.  Toweling...above average because of the thickness, but difficult to tie also because of the thickness and perhaps easier to get out of the mouth.  Long cotton socks, favored by the sock fans...above average...thick enough, but perhaps difficult to tie tightly.  Most socks simply are not long enough.  Dusters and cloth napkins....if they are large enough, they might be similar to a bandanna.  No doubt there are other things used as cleave gags that I missed.

Finally, tape cleave gags...poor.  You eliminate an advantage of tape by putting it between the lips instead of over the lips.  Perhaps it would work between wrapped around the head and between the teeth multiple times.  Still, tape is better used over the mouth.

Cleave gags will always be a mainstay of bondage even if they aren't the most effective type of gag.  They are very sexy, if done correctly.

As always, comments are welcome.

Copyright 2012 Knotty Silk Scarf Productions