The Claws & Clamps episode of the Turns Out I’m Into It podcast is officially live.
Turns Out I’m Into It is hosted by Harley Rabbit - a certified somatic sexologist, kink educator, and storyteller who has built a platform where curiosity replaces shame and nothing about kink, desire, or sensation is off-limits. Whether you’re new to kink or deeply experienced, Harley’s conversations are thoughtful, inclusive, and packed with insight. In this episode, we dive into material science, consent frameworks, sensation language, and practical approaches you can use to make touch more intentional.
🎙 Listen to the full episode at the bottom of this blog.
This conversation goes deeper than most. We didn’t just talk about Claws - we unpacked how and why they work the way they do. Materials. Calibration. Safety myths. Role dynamics. The language we use to describe sensation.
If you’ve ever wanted to see deeper into thinking behind Claws & Clamps, this is it.
The 1–5 Calibration Practice
One of the most important parts of the episode is something we’ve now formalised as the 1–5 Calibration Practice.
Over time, we realised that intensity conversations are often vague, with lots of relative statements and often very few reference points. This practice is how we like to create a reference point at the beginning of a scene.
In the past we used a 1–10 scale, but it’s surprisingly hard to interpret - and impossible to signal clearly in a noisy room.
Five is better in a number of ways.
You can show it with one hand.
It’s simple.
It avoids false precision.
The practice itself is straightforward.
After negotiation, the giver offers what they estimate is around 2 out of 5 on the intensity scale of the receiver. Then ask what number that is for the receiver, because your 2 might land as their 4 or 5.
From there, ask what their 5 represents - and more importantly, where they’d like to sit within that range.
Not everyone wants to climb to the top. Some people are perfectly happy living in the 2–3 range.
Calibration isn’t about pushing intensity.
It’s about removing guesswork.
It is important to remember that another person is always the best judge of their own experience and to seek out this information from them rather than rely upon one's own perceptions and projections of what the other person's experience.
Sharp vs Scratchy
Another distinction we explored is one that took years to properly articulate:
Sharpness and scratchiness are not the same thing.
Premium Nylon Claws are the scratchiest material in the range. That comes from their microscopically rougher surface texture.
Polished Metal Claws - aluminium or titanium - can be just as sharp in geometry. But they glide differently. They don’t create the same scratch texture. Crystal Claws behave similarly, with a smoother expression of edge.
A razor blade is sharp. It isn’t scratchy. A sanding block is blunt, and very scratchy.
When people say they want something “sharp,” they often mean texture. Separating those ideas makes material choice far more intentional.
Different materials aren’t better or worse.
They simply express sensation differently.
What “Medical Grade” Actually Means
We also addressed something that gets misunderstood: the phrase “medical grade.”
Our Metal Claws are produced using industrial metal additive manufacturing — the same facilities that manufacture aeronautical components and medical implants.
When I say medical grade, I’m referring to the quality of the material and the precision of the manufacturing process.
It does not mean the claws are medical devices.
They are not sterile, although they can be sterilised.
They are not clinical tools.
They are precision-engineered sensation implements, designed in-house and manufactured using advanced processes.
Context matters. Language matters.
Is Nylon Toxic?
This question comes up occasionally online.
Our Premium Nylon Claws are made from PA2200 nylon using selective laser sintering (SLS). The material itself is widely used in body-contact applications and is body safe.
Where confusion sometimes arises is around sterilisation.
SLS nylon is microporous. That means it cannot be sterilised to clinical standards. It can, however, be cleaned thoroughly — similar to leather or wooden implements.
Sterilisable and cleanable are not the same thing.
For general use, we recommend cleaning your claws after every session.
Internet myths tend to collapse nuance into fear. This episode unpacks that nuance properly.
If you're interested to know more on this topic you can check our blog "Are Nylon Claws Safe?"
Claws & Roles
One of the most interesting parts of the conversation had nothing to do with materials.
It was about roles.
It’s fairly common that in a couple, one person is enthusiastic about receiving sensation and the other isn’t. But that doesn’t always align neatly with dominant and submissive identities.
Sometimes someone who rarely enjoys receiving becomes curious about claws.
Sometimes someone who never tops feels unexpectedly powerful when they put them on.
Sensation preference and role identity don’t map as cleanly as people assume.
Claws don’t enforce a dynamic.
They shift posture. Presence. Energy.
And sometimes that shift reveals something new.
Designed In-House. Precision Manufactured.
Claws & Clamps products are designed in-house and precision manufactured using advanced additive processes.
They are sold in sets of five.
Each collection — Premium Nylon, Crystal, and Metal — is defined by its intended experience, not by hierarchy of quality.
The goal has always been deliberate sensation, not novelty.
Check Out the Full Episode
This episode is the clearest public explanation of how we approach a whole lot of different topics, all rolled up into a delightful afternoon chat that we look forward to doing again some time.
If you’re curious about the thinking behind the Claws, this conversation is worth your time.
🎙 Find the full episode here:
And if something in it resonates - explore the collections and see which material aligns with your intent, or learn about Harley here: www.harleyrabbit.com