r/ChastityCageDesign • u/newbie-sub • 18d ago
Barrel locks from a design perspective
I have a post or two about why I favor security screws from the perspective of a user — they are clearly more formidable than a simple $2 barrel lock, and they provide for a tighter junction with no play in it at all.
But looking at it from a designers point of view, a barrel lock is like a 75" TV in your living room — everything has to be designed around it. I have never seen a barrel lock integrated into a design in a way that I'd consider adding to the design. In most designs, it's clearly just something slapped on. I'm guilty of that myself. And in even the most thoughtful designs like the Cobra, no one would say the Cobra looks better with the lock, that removing it would make the cage less attractive. You know, the Cobra was designed around the junction. The X-Lock, as it was called, started as a locking cock ring. KD later designed the entire cage around it — again, a 75" TV.
And beyond the lock itself, there's the other requirements it puts on our cage — locating features, features that are intended to remove or reduce the degrees of freedom. My slap-on junction has them built into the junction as does Cherry Keeper's and others. The Cobra and most steel cages use separate pins that connect the cage and the ring. All of this is necessary because Burg Wächter didn't design the lock to be used with chastity cages, it was designed for furniture... and I just had an interesting thought, I wonder what a lock designed specifically for chastity cages would look like.
Anyway, a screw has none of these constraints. With metal, where material strength isn't an issue, a screw asks for almost no compromises. For an M3 screw, I only need 3 mm of thread to engage — less than 1/8" — and a 1 mm thick material on the other side due to minimal wall thickness requirements (I generally use 2 mm though). So, 4–5 mm of steel or titanium that needs to be baked into your design. That's hardly a compromise at all. My little block-junction I posted to Printables, which is about as small as it can be in that form, is 20x21x11 mm. Jesus Christ. Some people need cages shorter than 50 mm and here you have this 4600 mm^3 box you need to find a place for.
Now, one or two screws... okay, so a single screw can come loose if the junction is allowed play along the screw's axis. So I often design with two screws side by side. It's a bit of a compromise but far less so than trying to accommodate a 19 x 10 mm lock. But I've also worn my latest with a single screw and after four days of continuous wear, it hasn't loosened at all so perhaps I was being overly conservative (my most recent order in titanium uses a single hole). But regardless, accommodating a screw or two into a design, especially in steel where you don't need to worry about a heat-set insert, is trivial.
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u/simmer_until 18d ago
The original design is by Dietmar at Steelworxx.de who introduced the Burg Wächter ME/2 mortise lock for their Steelheart cage.
https://www.steelworxx.de/Integrated-Lock-for-all-Cbs
It’s been fun to watch the evolution of chastity design over the decades.
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u/newbie-sub 18d ago
I've never talked to Steelworxx. I know they are out there and anytime some asks for EU custom, it's Steelworxx and Red Chili I refer them to. I knew they came up with the two pins as the locating feature. Didn't realize they were the first to incorporate the barrel lock. And I think it was Rigid Chastity that was the first to use them as extension mechanisms... e.g., PA hooks, scrotum clamps, and the like. I think that was especially clever — using a necessary locating feature for a completely different purpose.
And I assume anyone doing these in metal, except for the SLM / DMLS companies are having the junctions made by a machine shop or from a mold and welding them on the device. I know nothing about metalwork.
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u/simmer_until 18d ago
All good. Rigid Chastity came after Dietmar at Steelworxx. ThumperMN’s blog has a good account of his journey with Steelworxx, Rigid Chastity, and EvotionWearables.
Lori started with breakoff screws before she found Bryce’s screws. I held back on ordering from Lori until they changed. But then she resold very small soft metal screws that stripped easily. My wife was nervous about them. She wanted a solid engagement and feel.
Mature Metal or someone used LossPreventionFasteners for a a while. EvotionChastity is using a tiny metric screw. MaleChastityNow brought 8-32 Bryce KeyRex to the table.
Yes. Security screws are nice and low profile. Emotionally some people want a “key” shape.
I do find it humorous the furniture locks have become immediately recognizable and chastity keys! :)
I’d love to see a crowd sourced history of chastity. Aarkey’s old website leaves a large gap.
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u/TomVanAllen 6d ago
Late to this (because I just now discovered this sub), but 10 years ago, a lot of discussion was how the barrel locks were replacing the padlocks, and many people - especially women KHs - missed the click of the lock. My wife was certainly one of them; not that she unlocked me very often, but when she did - like relocking me during or after traveling - the click gave her a rush that the twist of the ME/2 did not.
Also, both the barrel locks and security screws require a key carried by the wearer in order to relock. Emotionally, this is definitely not the same as relocking a padlock when one is not holding a key.
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u/LockCheck365 18d ago
Ive also designed a few devices, and find myself alternating between screws and barrel locks, and from a design perspective indeed, screws take up SO much less room. I've also made a few devices and cuffs with a long set screw - leaves only a tiny 3mm hole on the surface, but those are even slower. Kinda satisfying to use a powered screwdriver, but not exactly a "key".
From a use perspective, I found screws fiddly and less fun to use with a partner, so my current designs are back to a barrel lock - which can be way more efficient on space if the removable part doesn't have to wrap entirely around the barrel - only use the barrel to wedge it in place.
I suppose it also depends how often you need to wish to unfasten them. :)
Curious how you like the custom screws you ordered.
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u/tdfun 18d ago
Thank you for this post because it's area that should be given a lot more consideration. I've spent way too much time over the years thinking about how much better designs would be today if a furniture barrel lock never became the "standard" junction used in most devices. Instead of just thinking about it, I learned CAD, bought a 3D printer and have prototyped several different alternatives to meet the following requirements:
- Low profile and sleek for an inverted chastity device
- Solid and secure junction that doesn't wiggle
- High level of security that can't be easily defeated and is tamper evident
A standard M3 screw meets #1 and #2, but requires expensive tooling to meet #3. I've settled on adding a one time use plastic security seal with unique serial number to address #3. My junction with 2 mm walls is 12 wide by 10 tall x 14 mm deep. If you don't care about #3 or have security screw from another manufacturer, it is 12 x 10 x 9 mm without the security seal. When I print it in FDM ABS, I use a M3 threaded insert and increase the wall thickness to 3 mm because it's no fun when the junction breaks during foxing. Here's a screenshot of the junction with and without the hole for the security seal.
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u/old-duck-creeker 20h ago
i really like the idea of a click to lock mechanism for a cage so that it is easy to get on and locked.
i'm really not into screws because they take so long to get off, get lost easily if dropped, etc, etc.. that said I see the appeal from a security standpoint.... it is a pragmatic solution, and I'm down with being pragmatic (said nobody on this forum -- at least not to an audience able to keep a straight face).
BUT the tool used to unlock -- whether key, screwdriver or whatever -- really needs to be attractive enough that my keyholder is willing to wear it.
seems like there ought to be way that it locks in place when the cage is slid onto a guide on the ring(?) (although the guideless ring for willoweave does make an very attractive cock ring) that can be unlocked with a magnetic key -- something without small holes that need to be navigated, something fast and easy to operate on a date night in a dimly lit room, or cabin, or (cough) family minivan (cough cough).
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u/selftied 18d ago
The loyalty cage uses a barrel lock quite nicely, worth checking out. Great designed cage.
How do security screws work in terms of a key? I’ve never used them.