Technical question - oval rings

[fineline]

I like the Bon4M, but find the 45mm ring to be a bit too tight, and the 48mm which is the next size up to be a bit too loose. I can pop out starting with the left side for some reason. I'm not trying, really. But if I'm checking my scrotum for redness or whatever, it sometimes happens. Embarrassing to go to my wife and say "can I have the key please?"

So here's the question. What is the advantage to an oval ring? Is it that you can wear a smaller ring without pinching, or that you can wear a larger and therefore more comfortable ring without popping out?

The reason for the question is that I'm thinking about how to change the rings on the Bon4m without changing the spacing of the pin holes and want to know if it's really worth the effort. I tried it with the smallest ring (I'll never go that small) and even heating the metal the holes spread out about a pins width from each other. Too keep that from happening I'll have to make a jig to lock into the pin holes and cage pin in position, then heat the ring with a torch and then squeeze it down with a vise.

Anybody care to share thoughts?

[Dannyboy]

If you have an oval it does reduce the distance between the cage and the ring a little so that will help to prevent your balls from escaping

[tjscooby]

I agree as I have a 1-7/8 base ring that was round, it came oval but I used a vise to round it back because it was too tight of a gap at the bottom. After several months I started having some occasional pop out problems when the boys were warm and hanging loose at night . Thought i needed to drop back to 1-3/4, but reworked the ring back to oval and the problem stopped.

[fineline]

Turned the Bon4m 48mm ring into an oval. Now 45mm X 50mm. The 45mm ring doesn't let me pop out. If I need to I can always close it down farther. My wife is out and of course has the keys so I can't change cages right now, but I'm interested in seeing how the change effects comfort. I'll write a different post later, and will also post pictures of the jig I made to hold all of the holes in alignment so that they still line up with the alignment pins and locking pin for the cage.

All the more important now since the HTv2 broke on Wednesday....

[Bound_spirit]

Hey Fineline. Great you made it work - congrats. As you saw from my post, I solved the pop-out problem a different way by making the gap between ring and cage variable and then closing it up to my preferred 11-13mm and locking it there.

That said, after my first full week (24x7) in the Bon4M I have to say I'm increasingly interested in the idea of an oval base ring. More and more, the pain with the 48 mm ring (even polished) at night is seriously bad - cutting into sleep for sure.

I feel like if I had another 3-4 mm of width (probably same height) it would be workable. Did you consider going a different route and grinding the inner ring surfaces out so you ended up with an oval? I don't have the skills to heat and beat but I've got a Dremel, a beer and patience...

We'll see but I think I'm not quite done fiddling with this device. Will say that after a week, it's still has the most potential.

[locked4her55]

I don't have the skills to heat and beat but I've got a Dremel, a beer and patience...

[fineline]

Bound_Spirit - grinding won't work. You'll thin the ring out too much and will weaken it, and you'd have to hog off a heck of a lot of material. Heating can be done with a propane torch, and you can squeeze it in a simple bench vise. Cool it in a bucket of cold water. It didn't take much pressure, really. I used two torches because I have two for some reason.

I didn't get to put the cage with the modified ring on until yesterday afternoon. The 48mm ring made into an oval is very comfortable. No pinching, no issues. No balls popping out yet. The HT ring BTW is 45mm top to bottom, and wider side to side, and this is about the same.

The only problem that I have is that I keep getting hit in the abdomen by the top of the ring and the end of the locking pin because the end of the cage hits my chair as I work and gets pushed back. Not related to the modification. But it makes me think that maybe I need the small cage. Most of the time there's space to the end of the B4m cage. But the Jailhouse cage is about 3/4 of an inch shorter than the large B4M cage, and the same length as the small cage. It might work. I like the idea of being in a metal cage and not getting out unless she wants access. With a metal cage I won't have a reason to get out, even for cleaning. The next one could be 30 days....

In the mean time I made a new locking pin out of stainless steel. The very end is drilled and tapped for a 10-32 screw, with a hole farther back to take a wrench pin to keep it from turning while the screw is tightened. Try to remove the screw without the wrench pin, and it just turns the whole pin locking pin just turns. The screw goes in the END, not the side, so when it's tight nothing moves or shifts. I tried it with a standard screw, and frankly I find the security screw idea to be much more intimidating than a padlock.

I looked for images of the screw that MM uses as their "security" screw. The ones that I found use a standard Torx security screw with a pin in the middle. That does not meet my definition of a secure device. I bought a set of bits including the one needed for the Torx security screw at Harbor Freight. If I use it I will have to hand both of the bits I have over to my wife, or secure one as a safety key.... It could be secured in a small metal can that we have and sealed with a security sticker.

I did find some very interesting security screws, including a pentalobe head with a pin in it. That is likely to be expensive, but not one that I'll find just anywhere.

[fineline]

Out of the Bon4m. I managed to pop out, left side as usual, yesterday afternoon while checking things, but was able to put it back in. Popped out the right ball in the evening. Took everything off to inspect an area of irritation and found cuts from the bars of the cage on the underside of the shaft. Ouch. Neosporin and a different cage. I need to see if it is possible to make the cage smooth enough for long term wear. Still waiting for a replacement HT cage...