Barbell (piercing)

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externally threaded barbell Piercing-Barbell.jpg
externally threaded barbell
14K gold barbells in front of 24K gold for color comparison. Gold barbells.jpg
14K gold barbells in front of 24K gold for color comparison.

Barbell style piercing jewelry is composed of a straight bar with a bead on each end, one or both beads unscrewable for removal and/or changing of the beads. Often one of the beads is fixed, either via epoxy or welding, so that only one bead is used to install or remove the jewelry. Barbell threads are usually right-handed.

Contents

They are named because they resemble the barbells that are used in weightlifting.

Types of barbells

Circular Barbell, Barbell, Captive Bead Ring and Curved Barbell Diverse type of piercings.jpg
Circular Barbell, Barbell, Captive Bead Ring and Curved Barbell
Barbell used for navel piercing BauchnabelpiercingDK.jpg
Barbell used for navel piercing

Internally threaded barbells

Named because the bar has smooth ends with receiving threads tapped into the end of the bar. In internally threaded jewelry, the bead has a receiving tube machined into it (this is referred to as "countersunk"), with a threaded post extending from the center, which mates with the threaded receiving tube on the bar. Being much less likely to cause damage and irritation, especially at the time of piercing, internally threaded jewelry is considered superior to externally threaded jewelry. It is usually slightly more expensive than externally threaded jewelry, due to the extra machining and labor involved.

Externally threaded barbells

So named because the shaft of the bar has threads at both ends to allow beads with receiving threads to be attached. Due to the potential damage or irritation to the piercing as the threads are passed through when the jewelry is inserted or removed as well as the popularity of the internally threaded barbell, the externally threaded option has become less common. This type of barbell is usually only used in cheap, mass-produced body jewelry. Some manufacturers make externally threaded barbells with "step-down threading", where the threaded section has a smaller diameter than the wearable section; these are fairly uncommon and usually internally threaded barbells are used in their place. Step-down threaded jewelry ends can be inserted into the blunt end of a hollow piercing needle, allowing for less irritation during initial placement than regular external barbells.

Curved barbells

Also known as a navel curve or curve, so named because of their curvature. A curved barbell is mechanically identical to a straight barbell, except for being curved. Curvature on a curved barbell can range from almost straight to circular, with some barbells actually being spiral, with the ends overlapping but separated to allow the insertion of the jewelry. A variation on this design is a J-bar, a slightly curved barbell (sometimes referred to as a bananabell or banana barbell) with a 90 degree bend near one end, used in vertical navel piercings to position the decorative end of the jewelry more appropriately. They can be either internally threaded or externally threaded.

Circular barbells

Also known as horseshoe barbells due to their shape, they are used in any number of piercings, including earlobes, tragus piercings, nasal septum piercings, or even horizontal clitoral hood piercings, although the latter is less common, as the clitoris is deprived of the stimulation gained from a properly positioned captive bead ring.

Surface bars

Used in surface piercings. A surface bar is a barbell where the bar has a pair of 90 degree bends, in the same direction (similar to a staple), to allow the jewelry to be used for surface piercings. This design minimizes the pressure that would be caused by other jewelry designs that contribute to rejection in healing surface piercings. Surface bars are produced with many different lengths between the two points.

Types of beads

Beads for barbells can vary widely in design and appearance, although the vast majority of beads are simply spherical in design. That being said, any shape that threads can be tapped into can be used as a bead. Cubes, triangles, cylinders, cones, disks, and other basic shapes are common alternative bead designs. Some large gauge barbells, especially those used in tongue piercings, use "smartie beads", flattened circular beads, to prevent the jewelry from damaging the gums and teeth and allowing free movement of the tongue. There also exist "bondage" beads, which are dimpled to accept a captive bead ring, or the "koosh" bead which is a bead made of a rubbery material textured like a French tickler condom threaded to fit the tip of a barbell. Miniature vibrators also exist, in a variety of hard or soft materials on the exterior of the bead.

Materials

Barbell style jewelry can and is made from any metal appropriate for making body jewellery. Flexible barbells made from Teflon or tygon tubing are often used in experimental surface or deep tissue piercings. Beads do not penetrate the body, so often materials not usually considered safe for piercing can be used in a decorative manner such as acrylic, glass, or organic materials.

History and culture

Although at first glance the manufacture of threaded jewelry might appear to be of contemporary origin,[ according to whom? ] there are examples of externally threaded, straight barbells being used by tribal people, most notably the Dayak of Borneo. In contemporary society, barbell-style jewelry was popularized by Jim Ward, founder of Gauntlet (the first body piercing studio in the United States), in the 1970s. He was introduced to barbell-style jewelry by Horst Streckenbach "Tattoo Samy" [1] (1926–2001), a tattooist and piercer from Frankfurt, Germany, and his student Manfred "Piker" Kohrs from Hanover, Germany. [2]

"The first barbells I recall came from Germany. Doug had made contact with Tattoo Samy, a tattooist and piercer from Frankfurt. Over the years Samy came to the States a number of times and frequently showed up in LA to visit Doug. On one of his first visits he showed us the barbell studs that he used in some piercings. They were internally threaded, a feature that made so much sense that I immediately set out to recreate them for my own customers." [3] Jim Ward and his magazine PFIQ have been crucial in the development of modern body piercing.

They are worn in the cartilage of the ear but they are also worn on the lobe. The lobe is very popular because it can be performed in some countries without parental consent and it is more painless and easy to DIY. [4] [ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lip piercing</span> Type of body piercing

A lip piercing is a type of body piercing that penetrates the lips or the area surrounding the lips, which can be pierced in a variety of ways.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bridge piercing</span>

A bridge piercing is a facial piercing through the skin on the bridge of the nose, usually directly between the eyes of the wearer. A variation on this piercing, the vertical bridge piercing is a surface piercing, with all of the risks or potential complications related to surface piercings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Navel piercing</span> Type of piercing located in, or around, the navel

A navel piercing is a type of piercing located through the skin of the navel. It is most commonly located on the upper fold of skin, but can also be effected underneath or around the edges of the navel. It may heal quickly and with no irritations, like an ear piercing, or may heal more like a surface piercing with the associated extended healing time. Healing usually takes around 6–12 months, but varies by person due to differences in physiology. Navel piercings reject less frequently than most other surface piercings, but the rejection rate is nonetheless higher than non-surface piercings. A properly effected navel piercing involves piercing the skin surrounding the navel with the initial wound inside of the navel canal. This can be done at any angle where there is a clear flap of skin, but the most prevalent form of navel piercing is through the upper rim of the navel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clitoral hood piercing</span> Type of body piercing

A clitoral hood piercing is a female genital piercing through the clitoral hood surrounding the clitoris. The clitoral hood is homologous with the foreskin in the male reproductive system. In addition to being an adornment, a clitoral hood piercing can enhance sexual pleasure during masturbation, foreplay and intercourse. In an empirical study at the University of South Alabama, the authors reported a positive relationship between vertical clitoral hood piercings and desire, frequency of intercourse, and sexual arousal. There are two main types of clitoral hood piercing: the vertical clitoral hood (VCH) piercing and the horizontal clitoral hood (HCH) piercing. As the names indicate, the difference is in the direction the piercing is oriented in the skin above the clitoris. Neither of these piercings penetrates the clitoris itself, although in common parlance they are sometimes called "clit" piercings. The deep hood piercing is a variation of the clitoral hood piercing that passes deeper through the clitoral hood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nose piercing</span> Piercing of the skin or cartilage of the nose for wearing jewelry

Nose piercing is the piercing of the skin or cartilage which forms any part of the nose, normally for the purpose of wearing jewelry, called a nose-jewel. Among the different varieties of nose piercings, the nostril piercing is the most common.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earring</span> Type of body piercing

An earring is a piece of jewelry attached to the ear via a piercing in the earlobe or another external part of the ear. Earrings have been worn by people in different civilizations and historic periods, often with cultural significance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eyebrow piercing</span> Type of body piercing

An eyebrow piercing is a vertical surface piercing, wherein a twelve to eighteen gauge cannula needle is inserted through the bottom of the eyebrow and exits through the top of the eyebrow to permit insertion of jewellery. Those performing the piercing may use a pennington clamp to better guide the needle through the skin. A curved barbell is the most common jewellery inserted post-piercing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tongue piercing</span> Type of body piercing

A tongue piercing is a body piercing usually done directly through the center of the tongue. Since its decline in popularity around 2011, it has seen a recent upsurge making it now the second most popular piercing amongst young women aged 18-25 in 2019. It remains unpopular amongst men. Midline tongue piercings, or one hole through the center of the tongue is the most common way to have the tongue pierced.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hafada piercing</span> Surface piercing on the scrotum

A hafada piercing is a surface piercing anywhere on the skin of the scrotum. Piercings on the scrotal raphe or "seam" of the scrotum are common. This piercing does not penetrate deep into the scrotum, and due to the looseness and flexibility of the skin in that area, does not migrate or reject as much as many other surface piercings. The main motives are beautification and individualization. A piercing that passes through the scrotum, from front-to-back, or from side-to-side, is known as a transscrotal piercing. Multiple hafada piercings are not uncommon, often as an extension of a frenum ladder or Jacob's Ladder, which is a series of piercings from the frenulum to the scrotum.

A transscrotal piercing is a body piercing that travels through the scrotum from front to back, or from side to side. It is a high risk procedure.

Body piercing jewelry is jewelry manufactured specifically for use in body piercing. The jewelry involved in the art of body piercing comes in a wide variety of shapes and sizes in order to best fit the pierced site. Jewelry may be worn for fashion, cultural tradition, religious beliefs, personal symbolism, and many other reasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Ward (body piercer)</span> American body piercer (born 1941)

James Mark Ward is an American body piercer. In a 2004 documentary, entitled The Social History of Piercing, MTV called him "the granddaddy of the modern body piercing movement."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guiche piercing</span> Body piercing through the perineum

A guiche piercing is a body piercing through the perineum. Guiche piercings are much more common in men than in women. Although a guiche normally runs perpendicular to the direction of the penis, lateral placements are possible. A series of guiche piercings in parallel to the direction of the penis is called a guiche ladder, and might commonly be seen as an extension of a frenum ladder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rook (piercing)</span> Type of body piercing

A rook piercing is a perforation of the antihelix of the ear for the purpose of wearing jewelry. It is located just above the tragus on the ridge between the inner and outer conch with the piercing passing from the underside to the top of this ridge, differing from many ear piercings that essentially span between a "front" and "back" surface. Erik Dakota, a well known professional piercer and the individual responsible for originating and popularizing the rook piercing, is said to have named this modification after a shortened version of his first name. The piercing was first named in issue #4 of the magazine Body Play and Modern Primitives Quarterly around 1992 alongside the first printed reference to the industrial piercing, then termed "industrial ear project".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corset piercing</span> Multiple body piercings in two roughly parallel rows

A corset piercing is a body piercing that consists of multiple piercings in rows, usually on the back, with ribbon or string laced through to mimic the appearance of a corset. Two rows of bilaterally symmetrical piercings are performed and can be composed of as few as four piercings or as many as the length of the area being pierced and the vertical space between piercings will allow space for. Due to the difficulty and risks associated with permanently healing single surface piercings, most corset piercings are intended to be temporary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pubic piercing</span>

A pubic piercing is a body piercing in the pubic area, on the mons pubis in females, or at the base of the penis in males. Healing times are at around 3–4 months. The rejection rate is around the same as well - that is, higher than most "conventional" piercings, because it is a surface piercing. Some get this piercing because it can offer direct stimulation to the clitoris during intercourse. The placement is at the bottom of the pubic mound just above the penile shaft. Usually, the jewelry inserted is a custom-made surface bar, used to give the best chance of healing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madison piercing</span> Type of piercing located at the front of the neck

A Madison piercing is a body piercing going through the skin at the front of the neck. They are surface piercings, and have a high rate of migration and rejection. They have a long healing period, if they heal at all. The Madison piercing is named after the first person publicly associated with it, the porn star Madison Stone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Implant (body modification)</span>

In body modification, an implant is a device that is placed under the human skin for decorative purposes. Such implants may be subdermal or transdermal. In the context of body modification, some may consider injections of silicone and other substances a type of implant as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plug (jewellery)</span> Piece of jewelry

A plug, in the context of body modification, is a short, cylindrical piece of jewelry commonly worn in larger-gauge body piercings. Modern western plugs are also called flesh tunnels. Because of their size—which is often substantially thicker than a standard metal earring—plugs can be made out of almost any material. Acrylic glass, metal, wood, bone, stone, horn, glass, silicone or porcelain are all potential plug materials.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horst Streckenbach</span> German tattoo artist

Horst Streckenbach "Tattoo Samy" was a well-known German tattoo artist and historian of the medium, who had been tattooing since 1946. Streckenbach is considered important in the development of tattooing in Germany. With Manfred Kohrs from Hanover in Germany from 1974 to 1978 he developed a rotary tattoo machine and in 1975 the barbell.

References

  1. The German Wikipedia article on Barbell_(Piercing) containing a history part about "Tattoo Samy"
  2. Phillipp Schaab: Interview mit Manfred Kohrs Wie das Piercing in Deutschland Bekanntheit erlangte. In: TätowierMagazin Issue 07/20 (#293), p 81-81, 19. June 2020
  3. gauntletenterprises.com
  4. McClatchey, Caroline (2011-11-21). "Ear stretching: Why is lobe 'gauging' growing in popularity?". BBC News. Retrieved 2017-02-17.