But Why a Stud, Cousin? Why not.... (The Origin of the Studded Paddle in cK)

"But why a spoon, cousin?" 

"Because it's dull you twit, it'll hurt more!"

-Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves

Gods above, I love that quote.   And the sheer maliciousness that just drips from it when Alan Rickman spits it... no one could be maliciously contemptuous like Alan Rickman.   If only we could all replace that "nagging little voice" in the back of our heads with the voice of Alan Rickman (God rest his soul) --- humanity would be living amongst the stars by now. 

So, why Studs on Paddles?  

Well, I started cK all the way back in 2002, and I still occasionally meet people at events (met one this last weekend at Naughty Knowledge, on the last day) -- who have one of my original pieces from 02 or 03.   And they're inevitably in showroom shape -- because back then, I used rock maple, and carved by hand.   

If I'd known that paddles like that sold in the lifestyle for $3-400...  

Fucker, who am I kidding?   I'd still have given half of'em away to donations, and sold the rest of'em for $40-$50.   I was a sucker for a cause and a good home for good work, and I still am.  I probably gave away at least $4-500 worth of product this weekend when the Missus wasn't looking.   I'm a dumbass who shouldn't be allowed to vend without a properly profit-minded employee watching the till. 

Any'road. 

Torquemada Paddles.   Studs in paddles. 

Why?    Easy answer.   Stupidly easy, if you think about it.   Mockingly easy, if you're one of the ones who ever said those fateful words to me -- "Paddles are too stingy for me.....  *whine*". 

Surface size versus force, and perception of penetration of impact energy as a single event versus spread out through penetration of multiple events at differing depths and breadths. 

Ever play the game with a friend where you take two sewing needles and see how far apart they have to be before you can tell that there's two of them?   (It's called the Weber Two Point Discrimination Test, by the way -- google it.) 

Same principle.   Break up the impacting surface, spread the impact energy into multiple depths and impacts, and instead of one hard "sting" on impact, followed by whatever "follow through" force the Top is capable of imparting which creates the "THUD"  sensation  ---- you get just plain old "impact energy transfer" interpreted dully by multiple points of contact close to each other as "thud".   

The only "sting" the bottom should feel would come from the Top limp-wristing the paddle swing and not imparting enough force to take advantage of the paddle's structure.  

So there you go. 

Applied engineering, applied bio/anatomy, and applied structural design/carpentry.   

Are you not edu-tained, my beloveds? 

~Kenova