Devilish Design – Online Artisan Paddle Boutique
Have you ever wanted to own a custom made paddle or cane, built with passion and love, that will last?
Allow us to introduce you to our new friends at Devilish Design the Online Artisan Paddle Boutique. We were lucky enough to spend some time with the founder and highly skilled craftsman of these unique and beautifully designed pieces ‘The Baron’, and asked him to tell us where his passion, creative flare and skill derived from.
A little introduction into Devilish Design I create high-end one of a kind paddles and canes for a wide spectrum of uses and effects. I concentrate on offering designs for every kind of Domme and Dom. Locally I can create and install larger pieces of furniture such as Crosses, Gallows, Spanking Benches, Stocks, Hitching Posts, etc. The goal of Devilish Design is to create the types of paddles that range from regular scene use to special occasion paddles who’s use must be earned. I like to think of them as the kind of paddles that are collected, gifted, and passed down.
Where did the passion for wood derive well thankfully I had parents that encouraged me to create. At age 13, I was apprenticed to a Master Woodworker. It was a shop that worked in 95% Walnut. Today Walnut is still my favourite wood in which to work. With his passion and skill as a craftsman growing, in his late teens The Baron started to explore the BDSM scene. I thought I had found my way to “The Lifestyle”. I was unfortunately quite wrong, I had some bad experiences, and decided to walk away. The pull to the ‘lifestyle’ however returned when 3 years ago he began writing Erotica. He was encouraged by another author who appreciated his talent to explore Fetlife, the online community for BDSM, Kink and Fetish. It was here he found the missing piece that would link his skills with wood and love of the lifestyle together. In wandering around Fetlife I happened upon a Domme of 20 years experience, and we struck up a spirited conversation about everything and over time a friendship formed. Initially I wanted to pick her brain to better round out my writings, but after time and meeting face to face, it became clear that I wanted her to mentor me as a Top and Dom. Her 20 years as a Domme along side my 31 years of wood and art experience has proven to be a formidable force and partnership. We are Partners in Crime and continue to work on Our House, Our Dungeon, and our Devilish Designs.
It was a conversation with The Baron’s newly found mentor that led to the first set of paddles being designed I asked “Do you have any paddles that I could check out?”. Her answer was “none that had not broken”. It got me to thinking about how paddles are made and used, and the materials versus the desired effects.The next day I went out to my shop and created my first paddles. We sat with each one and discussed every aspect of them and how to improve them. What came from those discussions was the fact that together we could provide paddles for every taste and body type, from the 6’5″ Gorilla Dom to the 4’11” Domme and every desired result. and from there Devilish Design was born
Most of the inspiration for The Baron’s work comes from long discussions with his mentor and ‘Partner in Crime’ making prototypes, then refining each design to a finished and public-ready implement, their own Dungeon and personal collections overflow with the successful prototypes but what other areas in life inspire the skilled craftsman. I take a lot of my inspiration from my days as an historical fencing teacher and fight director. Working with swords and knives for most of my life has had a pretty obvious influence on my paddles. One of my popular designs is called The Gladius as it resembles the classic Roman short sword, and you can definitely see how knives have found their way into my handle designs. My Bear Claws are fashioned around Brass Knuckles.
Bringing his own life experiences and passion into his work helps The Baron makes each piece individual, desirable and unique. He also makes custom designs for clients, so how does an idea grow into the finished product?
Our base/stock designs are a collaboration between my mentor and myself. We discuss the effect we desire and use of each piece created. Taken into account for each piece are details such as the desired effect, length, width, thickness, and density of material. When working on a custom paddle, the collaboration between myself and the client is constant. We have to discuss everything mentioned above and be very specific. You can rest assured that if you are unsure on any aspect of the design The Baron will offer his expert guidence in each area of the process to ensure the final piece created is everything you asked for and more Sometimes a client will desire a specific material that will not give them the result they wish to feel. An extremely exaggerated example of this would be the fact that balsa wood will never be thuddy. Sometimes it’s a simple adjustment of dimension or a complete rethinking to achieve the paddle that is desired. When doing a custom piece my clients can attest that my communication and progress pictures are consistent. Our lifestyle is all about thorough communication, and I believe that must be taken into my work as well. It is with this exceptionally detailed approach to work on every level with clients that makes The Baron’s pieces so sought after and unique. They are truly one of a kind and designed around your individual needs.
For those who are just starting on their journey with paddles the whole process of a custom made design may seem quite scary. Fear not The Baron can offer ready made designs to suit your needs. If you see something in my stock that you like, or know what you want to achieve I can steer you to the right piece for you and your experience level.
With all aspects of the design now detailed the process of crafting in the workshop can finally begin so how long would an individual piece take to create It truly depends on the piece and materials. Woods that are easy to work with will go faster. Some of the more exotic woods, Purpleheart for example, are extremely dense and take much longer to shape and sand. In layout, cutting, shaping, and sanding I would say that anywhere between 7-14 hours is the average. Glue Time and Finish Time are other factors all together. It can take me a few days to get the finish just right. Then there is the time it takes to go to the mill and hand select each piece of lumber I buy. Larger pieces of furniture are calculated on a job to job basis. Great care is taken with each piece and this is more then evident in the finished products.
The Baron’s love for walnut is also highly evident in the many paddles he has produced, he does however work with lots of different materials My favorite wood in which to work is hands down highly figured Walnut. Though not cheap by any means, it is a joy to work with, and the scent takes me right back to memories of the shop I apprenticed in. Walnut is a medium dense hardwood and quite versatile. It is good for either sting or thud. When finished, its grain and luster are stunning, and with the right piece can be absolutely holographic. Curly Maple and Cherry would come in as close seconds. I do get a lot of call for Purpleheart, but it is a pain to work with due to its density. Purpleheart is a such a pretty purple when finished though that I continue to work with it. As you can imagine with such a love for crafting with wood the designs and products go much further than just covering fetish items he also produces other beautifully crafted items Among them would be items such as wall sconces, cutting boards (or bread and cheese boards… you wouldn’t really want to do any cutting on them), spread knives, mirror and picture frames. I am also working on lamp and mirror designs with hidden compartments in them.
With such a wide variety of prototypes and products that he has produced you would think The Baron would find it hard to pick a favourite piece that he has created, but it is clear his devotion to his mentor, burns deep within his inspiration for many of his products including his favourite I call it Scorpius. It is a set created for my mentor. She is a Scorpio, and the set I made for her is cut from a single piece of highly figured Walnut Crotch (where to limbs come together is called crotch). The natural grain in the main paddle resembles a scorpion’s tail and its accompanying piece is the tip of the scorpion’s stinger. To date it is my favourite piece, except possibly rivaled by the Eagle Globe and Anchor paddle also created for my mentor. She is not only a Scorpio, but also a United States Marine.
The prices of an average mass produced product available on retail sites, are somewhat lower than the $50-$100 that Devilish Design set as a base price for each item. However I am sure that you agree with us here at Kinkycamdom and with The Baron himself that a beautifully hand crafted piece of work is worth every penny. Each of my pieces are created one at a time. There is no mass production in my shop, no computer aided cutting, and no laser etching. It is just me and my tools. I make what I enjoy for my everyday stock items. Each paddle, stock or custom, is a one of a kind. The piece you see online is the paddle you will receive. And with delivery worldwide we can all own a custom made Devilish Design.
In a world full of mass produced items it is always beautiful to find a little gem hiding within the quiet corners, and with Devilish Designs we have found just that. If you are looking for a unique, beautifully handcrafted custom made product you need look no further. The love and passion that goes into each product is second to none they are built to last, and withstand the hardest test. We here at Kinkycamdom look forward to working alongside The Baron to create some custom pieces for our own personal Dungeons and especially for our next project. Will one of The Baron’s paddles be gracing a Dungeon near you soon, we very much hope so, we can guarantee you won’t be disappointed.
Thank you to The Baron for allowing Kinkycamdom to step inside the world of Devilish Design and if you would like to support his beautiful work you can find him on one of the many Social media groups below.
Because DevilishDesign is a boutique we aim to keep things intimate. You can find my entire collection for sale on Fetlife.com Contact me for a personal sale through Paypal
https://fetlife.com/users/5216640
You can always find me on Twitter. I am very active, and it has become a major site of advertisement.
On Ebay you can find my work at
http://ebay.com/sch/blackleaf7/m.html
Follow me on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/thebarons_world/
On Tumblr
You can find my writings at:
https://www.amazon.com/Tales-Somewhere-Under-Rainbow-Stories-ebook/dp/B00M8PL91E
https://www.amazon.com/Tales-Somewhere-Under-Rainbow-5-8-ebook/dp/B00VVGMV8G
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