Folded Edges

Build your own chastity belt or modify a bought belt
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dashingdarla
Posts: 125
Joined: 19 May 2013, 15:54
Sex: Female

Folded Edges

Post by dashingdarla »

One of the problems with cutting metal with any process is you end up with sharp edges. Sharp edges rubbing on the body has an obvious result.

One can sand or grind the edges to dull them, but on very thin materials that's not enough. Many of the chastity belt makers of today (UK and China mostly) make silicone sleeves that cover both edges and one face of the metal to provide protection from sharp edges. Wearing the belt daily for the long term wears out the silicone and if you're not diligent about inspecting it eventually the sharp edges of the metal will appear once again.

The metalworking solution to the problem is to roll, or fold the edge back on itself so the new edge is a rounded edge or at least a fold. I'll show how to do rolled edges another time but today I'll show how to fold an edge really easy. There are many things you can use, the easiest being a metal brake. You can make one yourself, or buy one, or possibly borrow one at a machine shop or HVAC company. In lieu of that, you can fold it yourself by hand with a very simple tool - a "folding tool". It's two stamped pieces of steel welded together about the right thickness for folding thinner materials such as aluminum, mild and galvanized steel, and stainless steel. Many places sell them well below $20:

Home Depot: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Unbranded-12 ... qaE2OKDr6c
Amazon: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Unbranded-12 ... qaE2OKDr6c

Here's the one I purchased at Home Depot this morning:
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The next step is to cut the metal to your design. The waistband of this prototype is to be three inches wide, and the folding two has two sides offering different fold depths - 3/8" and one inch. I opted for the one inch and folding both sides, plus the three inches of desired with, means I have to cut the metal strip a full five inches.

I cut out the 5" wide belt using my old table saw that I have a carbide-tipped blade installed. There is a problem with cutting thin metal of any kind on a table saw - it's very easy for the edge running along the fence to "bite" between the fence and the top of the table. I thwarted that by plopping a thin flat (aluminum in this case) next to the fence for the metal I'm cutting to ride on, thus the edge hits the fence and not the seam between the fence and the table.

Powered up and fed nice and slow, wearing thick rubber coated kevlar gloves to prevent finger cuts (or worse), and a full face shield to protect my face. Feed nice and slow, and I got a very nice cut indeed. You can see the steel I cut off on the right of the fence, the aluminum flat on the left of the fence.
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The next step is to begin the fold. Lay the metal on a hard, flat work surface and slip the folding tool over one side starting at the edge, then pull the far edge up while pushing the edge on the metal down about 30 degrees. Slide it over to the next area, and repeat. Since my tool is 12" wide and the metal is 36" long, it took three motions to fold the whole side up 30 degrees.

I then repeated for the next 30 degrees, then 90, then 120, then almost 180. You can't get it totally flat with the tool and that's good, you'll be left with a nicely rounded edge.

Repeat the process for the unfolded side, and you should end up with this:
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All that has to be done is flatten it more either by rolling it with weight or pressure, and there's a basic wide-band belt to be cut to length, modified as desired, etc.

I used a piece of galvanized steel for this demonstration just because I had some laying around but this method works with stainless too. The bends will generally be crisper with stainless.

When I'm ready to flatten this, I'll be using a pair of steel rollers where the bottom roller is fixed and the top roller is adjustable with a threaded knob above it. Before I feed it through, I'll be applying adhesive long the inside edge so that the edge lays flat. Once that is flattened and cures, I'll swab on some silicone sealant along the edge to insure the edge is completely safe. You can also install the belt on the person so that the folds face out rather than against their skin, just to be sure.
fitherin
Posts: 503
Joined: 13 Jun 2013, 10:53
Sex: Male

Re: Folded Edges

Post by fitherin »

Nice work Darla, when will part two be made?
Ste
dashingdarla
Posts: 125
Joined: 19 May 2013, 15:54
Sex: Female

Re: Folded Edges

Post by dashingdarla »

I'll be making part two once I make a buck, and buy a blade for my sabre saw :)
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