Kindred spirit and spanking blogger True Switch just published a Q&A with a toymaker you may not have heard of, Mark at Toolworks Chicago. His company makes some very handsome items using non-traditional materials such as aluminum and stainless steel.

Apparently TS saw a pair of Toolworks mini floggers being used two-handed, Shaolin monk style, at a spanking party and decided to track the manufacturer down for an interview, which you can read here.

I’m not sure metal paddles are ideal for hitting, but chilled aluminum certainly is fun when you press it against a lady’s a red-hot bottom or her naked ribcage.

Hilarity ensues, often followed by some profanity. Is “sadistic bastard” a safe word?

Years from now, today’s spanking fetishists may look back and remember this as the golden age of high-quality CP toys. Mass-market implements will always be around, but the work of celebrated craftspeople is only obtainable for a limited time.

Our community is very fortunate right now to have several specialty manufacturers, including The London Tanners, Exotic Paddles, Canes4Pain and others, crafting exceptional implements out of the best materials available. And we should applaud their contribution to the scene.

When these artisans retire — which hopefully won’t be for a long while – there might not be anyone with equivalent skills and dedication ready to fill the void.

Some of you may remember the handsome implements sold by The Toy Bag (above) which closed some time ago, or the fine work of Satinwood’s master craftsman (below), who sadly passed away a few years back. Their creations live on in collections worldwide, but the opportunity to buy their products new is gone forever.

So if you’ve had your eye on a handcrafted strap, paddle or cane from your favorite spanking toymaker, there’s no time like the present to acquire it. A quality implement will give you years of enjoyment and you’ll also be supporting some hardworking people who are truly dedicated to the spanking scene.

The nicest present I received for Christmas 2009 was a limited-edition holiday razor strop from The London Tanners.

It’s one of only two made, I’m told, and one of the last items to be crafted at London Tanners World Headquarters in Florida before the company temporarily suspended operations and moved to England.

Fortunately for spankos everywhere, the London Tanner is back in production and proudly offering his Austere English Collection of CP implements, crafted from extremely high quality (and rare) oak-tanned leather.

All of Ian’s creations are excellent, but I especially recommend the Spanking Strop, the CP Ruler Strap, the Domestic Discipline Strap and the awsome Canadian Prison Strap. They are all personal favorites and I literally don’t travel to any spanking parties without them.

If the playroom was on fire or the morality police where breaking down the door, and I could only save one implement from my ridiculous collection before scooting out the window like a thieving raccoon, it would have to be the beloved Canadian Prison Strap from Ian, the London Tanner. (Not to be confused with the Arkansas Prison Strap from the same artisan.)

At 25” x 3”, the heavy CPS is the nuclear option when used at full swing, but it’s also stiff enough that you can flick the end like a gigantic leather slapper for (reasonably) light play. It’s also an uncommon and beautiful piece of workmanship, making it the implement I vote most likely to be stolen from my suitcase or hotel suite. A status compounded by the fact that the CPS is too long to fit in my 22” black-nylon Craftsman tool bag, so it has to be packed separately from all my other spanking toys.

Realizing that special orders can be an enormous pain in the ass, I politely asked my friend Ian if he would make a shorter, travelling version of the Prison Strap for me — something that fell in between the CPS and his excellent Domestic Discipline Strap. And realizing that I was asking a favor, I told him, “Just take your time. Wait until the right piece of leather comes in and fit it into your schedule when you can.”

The new hybrid strap that Ian made (center) is just slightly longer than the Domestic Discipline strap, with the look and blade width of the original Canadian Prison Strap. It fits right in the toy bag and performs almost exactly like its larger cousin in most applications. Perfect for the spankophile on the go!

Now you may have heard that the London Tanners closed its North American workshop not long ago, but I have it on good authority that Ian’s European operation will soon be up and running – perhaps even offering some new creations for keeping adult bottoms in line. Which is a good thing, because a person’s spanking hand can only take so much abuse…