In the comments to Security wankie (did anyone get that pun?), reader Wally shared some helpful experiences with the Steelheart, including this on security:
As for security may I suggest you go to a jeweler and have them make you a small chain with two closed loops on each end. These loops are small enough to go though the hole in the end of your tube, but large enough for one to go around your piecing jewelry and the other end go over one of the side alignment pins of your Steelheart. Basically the chain in installed on the end of your piercing ring and the chain goes down inside the tube out though the hole outside and up to the alignment pin. The chain will be long enough to allow your member to move up and down the tube freely but short enough not to allow pull out.
My issues with this idea are threefold. First, I need my device to be as quiet as possible. I imagine having a lovely chain coming out the end of the tube and running up the side would result in some noises. The noise, in and of itself, kinda turns me on as it’s an ever-present reminder of my chastity, but when you’ve got a couple of small kids in the house (or any size kids, I suppose), mysterious clanking is a problem. The other problem I have with Wally’s solution is that the chain, strung through the hole in the tube, would ruin my ability to pee vertically. The chain, I’m sure, would disrupt the stream and lead part of it off to the side. Having to sit to pee isn’t a deal-breaker since I’ve been doing it for months, but I really, really like using urinals. Finally, I’d be worried about the chain moving freely up and down the tube as the cock contracted and expanded. I am totally incapable of using any solution that pulls on my piercing.
Which is why I liked the Steelworxx PA fixing so much. Its design, inside the tube, allowed my piercing to move up and down the length of the fixing resulting in practically no pulling. However, that’s also the fatal flaw of its design since only one side of the fixing is fixed. The other has a little hook that, I assume, is supposed to keep the ring from sliding off. It doesn’t work. Even without trying to, my little buddy can escape the fixing shortly after being placed onto it.
So, to summarize, what I need is a way to secure the PA ring that doesn’t pull, doesn’t ruin vertical peeing, and doesn’t make noise but does make it difficult, if not impossible, to pull the dick out. I think I’ve got a solution.
What I’ve done is revisit the PA cable concept (the saga starts here), except this time, I’ve run the cable down the inside of the tube, not the outside. Then, I run the loops out and over the top of the device and secure them on the opposite side’s alignment pin (I’ll post a picture later to help make this clear). I run the loops on the outside since the aluminum ferrules I used to make them would be very uncomfortable sharing the tube with the tender secured meat. Hooking them to the opposite side’s pin helps keep the stiff cable from pulling out and getting out of position. The cable hugs the entire inside of the tube so the PA ring can slide around like the rings of a shower curtain. As long as it’s not immediately in front of the hole, it doesn’t get in the way of the stream. As long as it doesn’t come up and out the tube, it’s doesn’t pull on the ring. Since it’s coated in plastic and the ring is acrylic, it’s very quiet. So far, there’s been very little pinching or other discomfort (though I’ve only been wearing it for about 24 hours now).
Of course, it’s not perfect. I can slide most of the cock out of the tube, but it’s pretty uncomfortable to do so. Since it allows me to access the acrylic PA ring and since the ball is easily removed by hand, this is not total security, but it pushes off quite a bit farther any “accidental” slipping out of the tube. The only way I could get out now would be to disassemble part of the apparatus that secures me which is a hard limit in my mind. I could improve the security by using a stainless PA ring which, at 4 gauge, has a ball that cannot typically be inserted or removed by hand, but the metal would introduce clanking, so that’s a nonstarter. Also, I don’t think it’s necessary.
While I had the tube off yesterday, I took the opportunity to sand down the sharp edges of the brass locking mechanism. This proved to be a major improvement as the lock no longer cuts into me. Also, I’ve decided that the A-ring I ordered is too big. Even though it’s exactly the same size as the CB6K ring I was using before, due to its different design and material, it’s just too big. The whole device hangs too low when my balls descend. With the cable in place, this isn’t a huge problem, but it just doesn’t feel right since I’ve gotten used to the snug, closer fit of the CB6K. Dietmar says I’ll have to send the entire thing back to get a new ring since part of the lock is on the ring and part is on the tube. He’ll need both to make sure they fit properly. That sucks, but I get it. As soon as Belle decides I’m out for a while, I’m going to send it back and use the chrome CB6K in the interim.
So there you go. A thousand words about security on the heels of a post where I suggested security isn’t all that big of a deal. As I said, security = hotness. With the cable in place, the Steelheart is 3.6 times hotter than it was without. At least for me.
I’m soooo confused.
Well that’s not good…
Well the chain is a very small and doesn’t make noise. Picture a chain for a very small pendant.
The chain is also so small that it does not hang up and or pull on the piercing at all.
Also if you hold the chain to the side while peeing you can stand. However beware if you do break the chain it will result in a ball spanking with a paint stirring stick. My experiences.
Well, Thumpie, you just can’t have everything.
I did my own PA piercing a couple of years ago because my wife was too squeemish to do it to me. It turned out well. I have worn a captive bead ring after the piercing healed. It is nice, sexy, and I had a bit of embarrassment with my physician when I forgot to remove it before my appointment with him last time. My wife was in on the session, and she just smiled. Nobody made a comment. I guess he has seen it all.
Anyway, the reason for my comment is that a captive bead ring does not assure any kind of security. You can pop it without much effort. Sure, you might have a hard time putting it back on, but then, why? The only security would be a welded ring, which requires a bit of commitment. I have not done it, but thought about it. How about you?
Eeww! I finally stopped squicking over the idea of getting a PA, and here you are talking about DIY!
And I’m thinking that even if you *could* talk me into it, no freakin’ heat sink in the world is going to be big enough to let me feel safe when I think about welding the tips together.
And then you have to grind and polish the weld seam, or it will scrape when it spins inside. Yeesh!
Anyway, the reason for my comment is that a captive bead ring does not assure any kind of security. You can pop it without much effort. Sure, you might have a hard time putting it back on, but then, why?
That depends on gauge and gap. My steel 4ga ring is gapped very tightly. Combined with the thickness of the ring (5mm or about 1/5 of an inch), and I have a ball I cannot budge without tools (one to pop it out and one to clamp it in). There is *no way* I can get that ball out using only my fingers. Hell, I can barely make it turn once it’s in place. At smaller gauges, you’re right. I have 10ga earrings gapped rather loosely and can push the balls right out with my thumbs. But 4ga? No way.
Regardless, you still get mucho macho points for piercing your own dick.
Addendum:
Of course, I don’t wear the steel ring when I’m in either device due to noise. The acrylic ring I wear has a ball that’s *very* easy to remove. However, in my fevered bunny brain, once the ring is on the wire, it’s part of the device. Mechanically defeating any part of the device would register as cheating and I’d never do it. I would prefer to wear the steel ring on the wire, of course, but that’d be like wearing a cow bell around my neck.
Sheesh, guys, I did not mean to use a welding torch and a bench grinder. There are more subtle approaches to having a solid ring.
I admit that my gage is a measly 10, which still requires the tool to remove and replace. Then again, if there is a tool, there is a way. But once welded, well, there it is. Of course, we all are just playing with this anyway. The rest is fantasy, but it is fun either way.
All this gets back to the old question of how secure is secure enough? That seems to vary from one guy to another.