How to make an awesome tapegag/tapemask.
Let me just say, that I’m sick of seeing one or two strips of tape over someone’s mouth in pictures. It’s cheap and it comes off easy. If you wrap it around their head and neck, even better, but neckhairs + tape = ouch.
Your materials will need to be 1 roll of Gorilla Tape, and then a roll of duct tape of your color. (I prefer silver).
Start with a blank face. Because of the use of Gorilla Tape, I’d advise shaving. I didn’t though, and I *did* pay for it a little bit.
Now, what you want to do is take a small strip of the gorilla tape, and rip it in half horizontally. We want to place one strip above and below the lips like so:
We do this for two reasons. The first is catch the sweat from the upper lip, and the second is to create a solid anchor point for sealing the mouth. Next, place two strips of the tape vertically, like so:
By doing this, we’ve framed the mouth area. This is highly advantageous, because it mitigates the effect of sweat and the ability to easily push the gag off. If you’re not going to stick something in the person’s mouth (I don’t prefer it), this way works nicely, because it prevents them from sliding their tongue out between their lips and working off the glue from the tape. This, in combination with the sweat from the upper lip and mustache area, can allow the gag to just come right off.
Instead, by doing it this way, when you place the final strip of tape over the mouth, it’s anchored to other pieces of tape, not skin, so trying to push off the tape with your tongue becomes harder because while you can work off the piece over your lips, the edges are attached to more tape instead of skin, and unaffected by the skin’s moisture, thus, increasing durability.
Once this is done, we can put away the gorilla tape. We don’t need it anymore. You can use it for the rest of the face if you want too though. I prefer it because of it’s thickness, weight, and resistance to moisture, but the tape is expensive, and I sometimes find myself on a budget. Anyway, the next step is to just add two or three more horizontal strips as follows:
Make sure that these pieces are longer than the tape underneath it. The goal is to cover a little more skin each time, to make it harder to get off, and to make the gag have more weight and tension on the face. It adds to that feeling of helplessness ;) Next, tear off a strip of tape. We want to run it from one cheek to the other, by running it down under the jaw and back up again, like so:
We do this to limit the movement of the jaw and “clench” it in place (make sure when you do this, do it tight!). Add another strip like this overlapping the first one, and then add a few more horizontal strips over those like so:
Once that’s done, the next step is to tear off a piece of tape, and then rip it in half horizontally/lengthwise. We want to place the two strips over the bridge of the nose like this:
This helps to further “anchor” the tapegag/facemask. When trying to move the jaw or facial muscles, the tape has a tendency to want to “pull” a little bit down. This is mitigated by doing this, and helps to pull the gag “up” a bit (however, it also does tend to pull on the skin under the eyes, so make sure not to put it toooo close to them). It also helps in the case of sweat from the upper lip loosening the gag a bit and it peeling off in that area by holding it down more. Add a few more strips horizontally, and then two vertical strips down either side of the nose like this:
And viola! You’ve got a solid, weighty, tape gag (that’s basically a face mask at this point!) that is sturdy, doesn’t pull on those sensitive neck hairs or hair on the head, keeps you quiet, and frames your nose nicely should some mild breathplay occur. All you need is a bag clip!
Or, for added security (or if you have one on hand), a head harness/muzzle can be placed overtop of this for extra secure, extra tight, “mmmmmph!” guaranteed fun!
(I placed some socks between the muzzle and my face to help cushion it a bit. The muzzle isn’t lined and it’s a bit rough on the edges. This way, it’s more comfy, and the cushion helps to evenly distribute the pressure when the straps are pulled tight! :D)
I hope you all enjoyed this little tutorial. This is just my preferred way of doing things (and having things done to me!) obviously, so you don’t have to follow it. But should you find yourself wanting something sturdy and a little more menacing when it comes to duct-tape, well, remember this! :)
