Electro Torture

[skullchaser]

A little electrocution ... for science!

[hornythumb]

The "zapper" (pic #1)is a high voltage arc discharge device and is hard to simulate, especially in a video.
The effect is similar to a high frequency violet ray (medical) device but could be much more intense. It's striking and unpleasant (it "zaps" !) but bearable, the discharge is skin superficial and there's no current flow in the body. Repeated use on the same area could cause painful burns though.

The "taser" and "cattle prod" (pics #2 and #3) works on a different principle and their two contacts are supposed to be in direct contact with the skin (current flowing locally in the body). Real cattle prods could be extremely painful and by watching the victim's reactions you can't have any doubts if the scene is real or faked (90% are). These are high voltage current limited devices too, usually pulsed for safety reasons, similar in principle to electric fences. If you see arcs (sparks) with these devices it means the scene is faked since the device doesn't make direct contact with the body. Cattle prods don't produce arcs. These devices could be harmful and must be used with great caution. High power Tasers should NEVER be used ! Cattle prods REALLY hurts and must be reduced in power to be used on humans, I've heard that at INSEX they used "dummy" batteries to reduce the input supply voltage and H.V output, but the prods were not actually "disabled", allmost all INSEX electro scenes being real. But beware,this "trick" doesn't work with all models of cattle prods.
In BDSM plays these must be considered as training/corrective/punishing devices for short term use, while "electro play" devices (with assorted probes, clamps, etc...) are mostly used for torture/interrogation purposes.
But to each his own...

Many thanks for the detailed answer Eduk.

[hornythumb]

...Is the electro stuff for real, at least most of the time?

TBH, I don't really know. The arc in that image is real.

Guys like Edukator, localroger, TheElectrician and some others are more experienced and will let us know.

But I've seen that red device used on a number of occasions on different sites, and the way the users pull it away after they generate the arc is very sudden.

I mean, the way they all sort of jerk it away after the arc tells me that the discomfort/pain is real and they're doing their best to minimize it/cause the least damage possible.

Now those big cattle prods I have a feeling are disabled before their use on humans, at least for the commercial bondage scenes?



zapper.jpg
"Zapper"



taser.png
"taser"


cattleprod1.jpg
"Cattle prods"

Thanks y^3. Your answer and Eduk's reply are both very informative.

[localroger]

A lot of the electro stuff is real because it can be done pretty safely, but a lot is fake because even very safe electro can be insanely painful and you have to negotiate that with the model, and it may not be very visually dramatic. Some studios (Kink for example) have a "quick touch only" rule for any electrical prod, even if it is theoretically safe for longer contact.

The biggest dead giveaways of fakery are obviously shopped arcs and lighting effects -- it's nearly impossible to fake those convincingly -- and low voltage sources like car batteries. Car battery cables will make impressive sparks because they deliver a lot of current to jumper cable clamps but it's at such a low voltage that very little current flows through skin, and you can't really even feel them. So you can dramatically threaten the model with arcs and sparks and then when you hook her up, she really feels nothing.

Cattle prods are generally pretty safe, after all nobody wants to accidentally kill a valuable farm animal. Most professionals will avoid using them around the chest cavity and sometimes they will reduce the power, because hairless human skin is much more conductive than hairy cowhide. There are also lower power prods made from scratch for use with smaller animals like sheep which are more appropriate for humans.

Real two-prong prods tend not to make a lot of visible fireworks. Things that do, like tasers, are a different matter and shouldn't be and generally aren't used in porn. They are designed to incapacitate a victim by overloading the nervous system, and can definitely kill you if applied to you in the wrong way.

Single electrode devices like UV wands and the single probe ("red tip") thing are very safe. (Note that this does not apply if there is another electrode clipped to some part of the victim's body, making it a two-electrode device.) The wands depend on phenomena like RF propagation and capacitance to complete the "circuit" and generally use really, really high voltages (which do hurt) but can only deliver very low currents (which are not dangerous). They also make nice visible fireworks for the video folks. Note that if you are holding a single probe device on someone you are quite likely to feel the shock yourself when you apply it. Ask me how I know LOL.

You need at least 50 volts or so to push enough current through a human body to be dangerous, and in marginal cases it will only be really dangerous if applied to the chest cavity, head, spine, etc. US line current is particularly dangerous because 60Hz really fucks with the heart muscle. Voltages over 100, particularly AC, are prone to cause heart problems if the current flows through the chest or an area where nerves are headed that way. Higher voltages even at DC can cause burns and shock. Things like that are used in the real world by actual torturers but never (without fakery) for porn.

[hornythumb]

A lot of the electro stuff is real because it can be done pretty safely, but a lot is fake because even very safe electro can be insanely painful and you have to negotiate that with the model, and it may not be very visually dramatic. Some studios (Kink for example) have a "quick touch only" rule for any electrical prod, even if it is theoretically safe for longer contact.

The biggest dead giveaways of fakery are obviously shopped arcs and lighting effects -- it's nearly impossible to fake those convincingly -- and low voltage sources like car batteries. Car battery cables will make impressive sparks because they deliver a lot of current to jumper cable clamps but it's at such a low voltage that very little current flows through skin, and you can't really even feel them. So you can dramatically threaten the model with arcs and sparks and then when you hook her up, she really feels nothing.

Cattle prods are generally pretty safe, after all nobody wants to accidentally kill a valuable farm animal. Most professionals will avoid using them around the chest cavity and sometimes they will reduce the power, because hairless human skin is much more conductive than hairy cowhide. There are also lower power prods made from scratch for use with smaller animals like sheep which are more appropriate for humans.

Real two-prong prods tend not to make a lot of visible fireworks. Things that do, like tasers, are a different matter and shouldn't be and generally aren't used in porn. They are designed to incapacitate a victim by overloading the nervous system, and can definitely kill you if applied to you in the wrong way.

Single electrode devices like UV wands and the single probe ("red tip") thing are very safe. (Note that this does not apply if there is another electrode clipped to some part of the victim's body, making it a two-electrode device.) The wands depend on phenomena like RF propagation and capacitance to complete the "circuit" and generally use really, really high voltages (which do hurt) but can only deliver very low currents (which are not dangerous). They also make nice visible fireworks for the video folks. Note that if you are holding a single probe device on someone you are quite likely to feel the shock yourself when you apply it. Ask me how I know LOL.

You need at least 50 volts or so to push enough current through a human body to be dangerous, and in marginal cases it will only be really dangerous if applied to the chest cavity, head, spine, etc. US line current is particularly dangerous because 60Hz really fucks with the heart muscle. Voltages over 100, particularly AC, are prone to cause heart problems if the current flows through the chest or an area where nerves are headed that way. Higher voltages even at DC can cause burns and shock. Things like that are used in the real world by actual torturers but never (without fakery) for porn.

Wow, thanks. A very informative piece. We are all grateful.

[Edukator]

^^^^ Everything said above by Localroger is perfectly true and accurate, a good detailed complement to my (shorter) contribution before.

All these devices are fairly safe (unless the "victim" suffer from heart diseases) EXCEPT the real Taser which should NEVER be used in BDSM plays.

Another (re-purposed) electro device which hasn't been mentioned yet is the (remote-controllable) ELECTRIC DOG TRAINING COLLAR. These are available cheap in many configurations (and quality, avoid the cheapest ones !) and can be easily configured/modified to connect external wires with probes, clamps, etc... Voltage level (pain intensity) and (sometimes) frequency are fully adjustable over a wide range and with the remote-control option the possibilities are endless. They are 100% safe and harmless for humans since they can't even harm (or kill) the smallest dog. These are the electro-devices I use the most, with various (home built) electrodes and "gadgets".

For best visual effects the antique R.F ultraviolet "medical" wands are the most effective (and also the less painful) These are usually provided with an assortment of glass (gas-filled) probes of various sizes and shapes (and colors) , but allmost anything containing (rare) gasses will illuminate at the contact of the body. Great fun !
It must be noted that these will only give an unpleasant (stinging pain) effect when the glass probe is maintained very close to the skin but not touching it, since there must be small surface point arcs. Once in permanent contact with the skin (the way it should be used for "medical" applications according to the manual) the effect is allmost imperceptible, except for a light heating sensation (and very slight tingling). It means that when the probe is fully touching the skin the "victim" doesn't actually "suffer". Most "serious" E-T fans don't ever consider these as an useful torture (bdsm) device but rather a "toy".

But these are nice devices to have and can also be used to create a luminous fairytale seasonal atmosphere
like this:

[hornythumb]

^^^^ Everything said above by Localroger is perfectly true and accurate, a good detailed complement to my (shorter) contribution before.

All these devices are fairly safe (unless the "victim" suffer from heart diseases) EXCEPT the real Taser which should NEVER be used in BDSM plays.

Another (re-purposed) electro device which hasn't been mentioned yet is the (remote-controllable) ELECTRIC DOG TRAINING COLLAR. These are available cheap in many configurations (and quality, avoid the cheapest ones !) and can be easily configured/modified to connect external wires with probes, clamps, etc... Voltage level (pain intensity) and (sometimes) frequency are fully adjustable over a wide range and with the remote-control option the possibilities are endless. They are 100% safe and harmless for humans since they can't even harm (or kill) the smallest dog. These are the electro-devices I use the most, with various (home built) electrodes and "gadgets".

For best visual effects the antique R.F ultraviolet "medical" wands are the most effective (and also the less painful) These are usually provided with an assortment of glass (gas-filled) probes of various sizes and shapes (and colors) , but allmost anything containing (rare) gasses will illuminate at the contact of the body. Great fun !
It must be noted that these will only give an unpleasant (stinging pain) effect when the glass probe is maintained very close to the skin but not touching it, since there must be small surface point arcs. Once in permanent contact with the skin (the way it should be used for "medical" applications according to the manual) the effect is allmost imperceptible, except for a light heating sensation (and very slight tingling). It means that when the probe is fully touching the skin the "victim" doesn't actually "suffer". Most "serious" E-T fans don't ever consider these as an useful torture (bdsm) device but rather a "toy".

But these are nice devices and can also be used to create a luminous fairytale seasonal atmosphere
like this:

Doggy collar was great suggestion. I got three milfs crawling around on all fours .... arf,arf,.......arf,arf begging to get fucked.

[yyy02]

Thank you Edukator and localroger for the electro information!

[localroger]

Anti-bark dog collars are a great suggestion too, and safe for the same reason as prods. You won't see them used too much in porn because of the lack of fireworks though.

Another issue I forgot to mention is burns. The more powerful two-prong prods can singe the skin if held in place, which is one reason for the studios quick-touch rule, but again that also involves an insane amount of pain and the device is designed to limit the current; it's just that the safe limit for a cow is a bit higher than that for a human.

Where you get electro burn marks in RL torture is generally from people using power line current, which has both enough voltage and will push enough current to cause a real mess. Burns are caused by power, which is voltage multiplied by current, and time of application which allows the resulting heat to build up in the skin.

You will also occasionally see old handheld hand-cranked telephone line ring generators. This was again done by real torturers throughout the early 20th century when they were handy and state of the art. They require a two-wire hookup and are more dangerous than prods, but a bit less dangerous than line current. The only porn videos I have ever seen with them have been obviously faked by only hooking up one wire. They don't generate a lot of fireworks but are fairly safe to use on the legs and lower torso, and will cause dramatic involuntary muscle contractions. (I know this because I've been shocked myself by actual ring current on modern phone lines, which is similar.) These generators are quite dangerous to the heart if current passes through the chest though.

[theelectrician]

You will also occasionally see old handheld hand-cranked telephone line ring generators. This was again done by real torturers throughout the early 20th century when they were handy and state of the art. They require a two-wire hookup and are more dangerous than prods, but a bit less dangerous than line current. The only porn videos I have ever seen with them have been obviously faked by only hooking up one wire.

Insex used a hand crank in a lot of their films and it is clearly not faked. Nipple to nipple, nipple to tounge...not safe, as you said, what makes it even hotter. Can't think of any other studio that used them, tho. Lots of hand cranks in gay porn, too.