Loading a Six Shooter

The time has arrived after more that 2 years from the original piercing to upsize again. I have always been a bit foggy on gauges, numbers & dimensions, feeling that the idea was look & comfort rather than statistics, so I wasn’t even sure up until this point what gauge my current PA ring was. After looking at charts & attempting not very successfully to measure (mm’s are tiny!) I took an educated guess that my captive bead ring was probably an 8 gauge. An experienced piercer can read the gauge at a glance, but I am not one of them. Therefore, when I decided to buy the next size up, I ordered a 6 gauge – not sure if it would arrive looking huge or the same as my current one.

I seemed to have guessed correctly, as the 6 which arrived was a size up from mine, but what surprised me, was the diameter. I have been wearing an 8 with a 1” diameter, but a 6 with a 1” inside diameter looked enormous. It was a bit of a shock – on the pleasant side – I can go for big – and I didn’t want to take the chance of the new ring pinching out thoughts migration – as my original PA ring had done when I was hard.

After having been so glib in my last blog entry about the ease of removing and replacing a captive bead ring, I was had a few surprises. It had been pointed out to me that I should be able to remove & replace my 8 gauge using just my hands without any need for pliers. For the sake of experiment I pried the ring apart with my fingers and the bead dropped out. I probably could have pried the ring further open with my fingers but pliers made the job easier.

Just a remark about tools here, as I have heard putdowns from some quarters that tools are a waste of time. I agree that you could get through your whole PA’d life without owning a single tool – it’s not necessary. You could go to your piercer and have your jewelry changed or you could select the type of jewelry which is easily changed without tools. You might try curved barbells, spring loaded CBR’s or segment rings. I have a regular Captive Bead Ring because I like it, and I have the tools to remove and replace it because they are more precise and easier to use than brute force. The scoffers are missing a point, and that is – guys like to play with tools. It’s that simple.

So…the time came to insert the new 6 gauge CBR. I waited an entire 24 hours before doing this, as I wanted to have a bit of time to play & feel how life was like without my PA. The entire time I felt improperly undressed however and couldn’t wait to put my new ring in. I opened the ring a bit to make a good gap for easier insertion but now with the new ring noticeably thicker than my old one, I had to put one end straight in – none of this gently lowering into the slit – I just plunged in – but then froze up for a moment as I couldn’t find the exit hole. No pain of course, just frustration, so after a couple of deep breaths, I aimed again and this time noticed the grey of the steel showing through my PA hole. The ring didn’t pop through as easily as my smaller one, but with a little gentle coaxing, rather like poking your finger through a small hole in a piece of cloth, the skin around the hold stretched enough to let the ring through – and voila – new ring in place.

For some reason, I performed this whole process without lube of any kind, just a bit of water – don’t know why – couldn’t be bothered to go get it – didn’t want to make a mess – but the insertion went smoothly. I pulled the ring around so that its gap was away from me and got out my ring closing pliers. I was attempting to do all of this in a few minutes before going to work so was in a rush, but wanted my new ring in place. I positioned the closing pliers around the ring and squeezed. Nothing. I repositioned and squeezed again. Nothing. At this point I was nervous about slipping with the pliers and taking a gouge out of myself in some inconvenient place. Because the 6 gauge was substantially thicker than my old 8 gauge, my pliers couldn’t close it.

Options: I could leave out both rings entirely
I could re-insert my old 8 gauge
I could order some really heavy duty pliers
I could try wearing my 6 gauge without the bead

In the end I opted for the latter, as the ring didn’t seem to move much, thanks to how well if stretched to fit the piercing hole. So off to work I went with an uncaptive bead ring in place, ducking around corners every once in a while to check that the ring wasn’t moving. That night once home I gave the thing a christening, but in the process the ring slipped out in the flood of cum, so I was back where I started.

In the meantime, a reader named tr6flyer had left a comment on my 2 year blog entry with a tip about how to get the bead back in. He suggested squeezing the ring closed to a bit tighter than the diameter of the ball, then with the ring opening pliers, opening it up just enough to fit the ball in place letting the natural tension of the steel to re-close with the ball in place. Worth a try.

With the ring out I used regular wide jaw pliers, wrapped the jaws with tape to protect my ring, and squeezed the ring more tightly closed. I didn’t want to close it too much, but had to leave enough of a gap to re-insert the ring into my urethra, and with the gap slightly smaller than the ball. Surprisingly enough – this time with lube – the ring went easily down the urethra and popped out the piercing. The rest was just as tr6flyer had suggested – with the ring in place I opened the ring just enough (with pliers! – for all the non tool guys out there) to fit the bead in place. It was a bit loose for my liking, the bead rotating very freely and I thought I might lose it, so I removed the ring again, squeezed it a bit tighter, re-inserted, squeezed the ring open a bit, set the bead in place, let the pliers loose and this time they held the bead snugly with only a bit of movement. Perfect.

I have noticed several immediate changes since I have put in the new ring. When I piss there seems to be much less second stream. This could be a combination of things from the large diameter of the ring, to the fact that the piercing hole is now completely filled by the thickness of the ring with no room for leakage. I suspect that this effect is temporary. The second unexpected change is a desire to go for thicker rings. I was a bit so-so on this before, but now find myself looking with shoppers lust at 0 gauge tribal dream rings. Perhaps it is because I like my new 6 gauge so much, and like the fuller feeling that if gives me, that I can’t wait to upsize again. I have heard it said that this upsizing thing is not a race and this is correct, but now understand the rush. This is why so many guys who have had a PA for a few years end up with a large collection of jewelry. After a few years of upsizing and trying different styles in the quest to find the perfect match, there are a few cast offs along the way. I think my 6 gauge will be with me for a while, so I should stop looking at other stuff and just enjoy what I have for the time being.