Violet wand

Erotec Violet Wand, from 2000

Violet wands are modern electrical sexual or kink stimulation toys. They are used for the application of low current, high voltage (min 35 kV to max 65 kV typically),^[1] high-frequency, electricity to the body. They are most commonly used in BDSM though erotic sensation play is also possible with them.

A violet wand typically consists of a hand held "wand" made of plastic which encases a high voltage electrical transformer. The base of the handle has a permanently attached electrical cord which plugs directly into a wall outlet. The use of a GFCI is recommended to protect users from failures or breaks in the case that could expose them to the high-current input voltage. The wand has an intensity level control and sometimes an on/off switch, usually located near where the electrical cord is attached. Some models operate on an electromagnetic disruptive discharge circuit while others are powered by electronic circuitry (called solid state wands) or combinations of the two.

Various electrodes are inserted into and used with the violet wand to provide the sensations. A violet wand electrode is usually made of clear tempered glass which is sealed and evacuated and back-filled with a noble gas, typically argon and sometimes neon, in a process similar to the manufacturing of neon signs. The high voltage current causes the plasma inside the electrode to excite, emitting a glowing color when the wand operates and through which the spark emits. The appearance and process is identical to plasma globes, though the net discharge is higher in order to create spark streamers external to the glass which cause the desired sensation to the skin.

An assortment of erotic use insertable Violet Wand attachments known as electrodes. The tempered and evacuated glass tubes are back-filled with noble gas, causing them to emit sparks and glow with various colors when the violet wand is powered.

One popular misconception is that violet wands produce ultraviolet light, and sometimes violet wands are erroneously called "ultraviolet wands". Violet wands do not produce measurable amounts of ultraviolet light, except at the point of the full-spectrum spark external to the glass electrode. With sufficient time in one spot, redness or mild burns can result from the arc's heat. The arcs do generate ozone and nitrogen oxides, giving the skin the well known "ozone smell" similar to the smell of a lightning storm. Violet wands can possibly ignite flammable materials and melt artificial fabrics such as pantyhose with certain accessories and settings.

Violet wands have been made for the adult industry since the early to mid 1990s. The first manufacturer of violet wands was Donnie Rice of the Erotec company of California,^[2] specifically for those into BDSM as a sexual stimulation device.

Methods of use

A violet wand creates shock sensation when there is a gap between the electrode or the attachment and the body. As the wand is held near to the body, the spark will jump, providing the sensation. Full contact with an accessory creates a slightly warm sensation, but a violet wand provides a wide range of physical sensation properties with different settings and attachments. Some typical uses for a violet wand include temporary or permanent branding of the skin for Body modification, electrically charged impact with paddles or other conductive implements, electrified touch or massage, or erotic stimulation of the genitalia. Violet Wands can be used anywhere on the body but should not be used around the eyes.^[3]

The following 'terms for techniques' were standardized by the International Violet Wand Guild c. 2005.

Direct Users employ a violet wand by using various accessories which emit sparks for different physical sensations and purposes. These accessories include electrodes made of glass or metal and other conductive accessories and attachments.

In-Direct Utilizing a body contact accessory the person holding the contact becomes electrified to the touch. Any part of the body can be used to pass the arc to the recipient. Additionally the person holding the contact can utilize any conductive material as an accessory.

Reverse Users employ a body contact accessory by attaching it to the bottom subject, which electrifies the 'bottom' partner, and then conductive accessories are used by the top partner to electrify the bottom.^[4]

Extension Using an extension handle and cable, allows the most net discharge current to pass to the subject. Extension handles are used with many electrodes and accessories.

Branding Through the use of certain condensing electrodes, violet wands can be used to effectively "brand" or cauterize a design on an individual's skin which makes them popular in body modification. Violet wand brands can be semi permanent or totally permanent and are an easy and inexpensive method of "scarification" (the act of intentionally scarring one's own body) often used by professionals and avid enthusiasts alike.

Similar devices

The concept for the Violet wand has its technological beginnings in antique Electrotherapy devices invented in the early 1900s known as Violet rays.^[5] Another modern related device that has its beginnings in the same antiques is known as a High Frequency Machine, and is used in the beauty industry to oxygenate and stimulate the skin and scalp with a very mild current that is barely noticed on the skin. There is also another related industrial device that is used for electrostatic leak detection.

Publicity

Violet wands were first featured publicly on HBO's Real Sex Episode 30, Sex Machines.cum, a look at high tech sex devices. They have also been seen on Queer as Folk 2nd season, episode 11, in Cirque du Soleil performances and in Stuff ^[6] which named the Eclectic Electric company as the (then) largest manufacturer and distributor of the device. Another early publicity session was a 2003 phone interview by Playboy Radio with a manufacturer and the leading expert,^[7] Violetwanda, in which she described how to use the device.^[8]

Fiction

An erotic novel entitled Throwback by Annie Windsor and published by Ellora's Cave features the use of the violet wand in an erotic setting. Violetwanda served as a consultant to the work which is in its third printing as of 2011. Windsor, Annie (2005). Throwback. Ellora's Cave. ISBN 978-1-4199-5531-0.  The award-winning American novelist Laura Antoniou featured the violet wand in book two of her Marketplace contemporary erotic fiction series. Antoniou, Laura (1994). The Slave. Circlet Press. ISBN 978-1-61390-003-1. 

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Violet wand machines.

• Erotic electrostimulation
• Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS units which are also used by some BDSM enthusiasts).
• Violet ray
• BDSM
• Sybian
• Glass dildo

References

Notes

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