Rationale and Philosophy

Fisters often fall into one of two camps regarding lube:

• Wild Disregard | Fisters in this camp embrace everything wild, disruptive, and sloppy about fisting. Sex is very unscripted and passionate—lube ends up everywhere. If you don't finish the session a sticky mess, then you didn't experience everything that fisting has to offer.
• Containment | Fisters in this camp prefer familiarity, order, and consistency. Lube should be contained to the play area and sometimes even to a very small area around the fist chute. Many are neurodivergent and lube that spreads everywhere distracts focus and rhythym. Lube has its designated place and use in fisting, just like gear, poppers, and porn. Excess lube is a distractor instead of an enhancer.

Not all fisters fall into one of these binary classifications. Some embrace the slippery, sticky, and sloppy nature of lube covered copulation, yet reject exporting lube outside the play area. Others embrace different expressions and practices regarding lube usage.

Regardless of the camp or position on the lube spectrum, there is always some effort required to clean up lube after a session.

Etiquette

Etiquette refers to how you treat others in a specific fisting scenario. There are three etiquette guidelines related to gloves.

1

Identify your glove preferences/needs prior to the scheduling a session.

Etiquette Explained

Who: Top and Bottom

When: Prior to Session

What: Prerequisites

Group: Handwashing

People typically do not use gloves when playing in a private residence or hotel room with a single partner or small group (less than five people). People may opt for gloves in larger groups, with depth play, or in venues with inadequate washing facilities.

Do not assume your partner follows these practices. Specify—before you meet—your preferences or your present needs that alter your preferences. For example, if you generally play without gloves but have a cut on your hand and need protection, you should inform your partner before scheduling a session.

Anecdotal Narrative

Edgar and I have a standing fist session on the first Thursday morning of every month. We've always played S2S, but this month, I had cut my finger and the wound was still healing. I would need to wear gloves.

We still on for Thursday?

Yep. I'm game! I cut my finger last week and it's still healing. Do you mind if I use gloves?

I'm glad you asked.

My hole doesn't really respond well to gloves. I can just top this time, or we can wait for another week or so.

I've never been one to turn down being the designated bottom. See you at 9:30!

We averted a crisis because I wasn't planning on cleaning out that day to allow him to be the designated bottom.

— FF Chronicles: 22.08.0400

2

Provide gloves for you and your playmate.

Etiquette Explained

Who: Requestor

When: Throughout Session

What: Provisions

Group: Handwashing

While BYOG (Bring Your Own Gloves) sounds reasonable, guys that only play S2S may not keep gloves in stock. The Provisions Matrix indicates that the responsibility falls upon the individual who requests gloves. This means a bottom who requires gloves will need to have several pairs of each size on hand, regardless of hosting or travelling for the session.

Anecdotal Narrative

Peter was a horse-hung-silver-fox-pocket-otter-gym-rat with no hang ups regarding masculinity. I had watched him top eager bottoms in his signature pink gloves for three days at Fist Fest. I knew his small hands would work wonders inside my hole. I approached him at breakfast on the final day of the event.

"Hey! You got any room on your dance card for me today?" I asked.

"Absolutely. I've been eyeing your hole for days" he responded and followed up with "I want to sink my elbow into you!"

"Great! Let's do this. But first, you gotta tell me what's the deal with the pink gloves?"

"I'm married to a non-fister. Obviously, we play separate; however, our agreement is that we wear protection when playing with others. Since most guys don't have XXL condoms or XS gloves, I provide my own." He continued, "I accidentally bought pink gloves several years ago, and it garnered so many comments that I've never bought any other color since."

"So, your condoms are pink, too?" I asked since I hadn't seen him topping with his cock.

"One could only hope that pink condoms would come in King size, but alas, you'll have to settle for transparent."

"So, I get both your hands and dick?"

"Both hands and dick? I'm not sure that's possible, but we can do jack-in-the-box. I've seen your hole, and I'm gonna jack-hammer the fuck out of you!"

We chatted a little more and sat up a play date for the afternoon. It was a great way to finish off the festival: pummeled in pink. The next time I ran out of gloves, I ordered pink replacements in honor of that epic event.

— FF Chronicles: 18.04.0275

3

Respect each other's preferences (formerly known as Bottom's Choice).

Etiquette Explained

Who: Top and Bottom

When: Throughout Session

What: Consent

Group: Handwashing

"It's the bottom's choice" is a common phrase you will hear when discussing glove etiquette. This would be true if gloves were always optional for both parties, but they are not. Sometimes, tops must wear gloves.

Neither party should be forced or harassed to fist in a manner with which they are not comfortable. Bottom's Choice should be replaced by Mutual Consent.

Anecdotal Narrative

A few years ago, a dear friend invited me for Pride weekend at his home in Houston. He wanted to fist for the first time and asked if I would bottom for him.

Can you bring all the supplies and gear, including gloves?

I prefer S2S when bottoming, but I do have gloves that I suppose I can bring if necessary. :(

Thanks, I'm still on heavy immunosuppressants from my kidney transplant and am concerned about infection.

Fuck! I forgot about the transplant. Of course, we can wear gloves—your health is more important to me than any of my silly hang-ups. Sorry about being an ass. I hope you forgive me...

No worries, just get your ass down here. I'm excited to try this out!

— FF Chronicles: 15.06.0041

The Such FFun podcast discusses glove shaming and consent between partners in Season 2 | Episode 6 - (FF Tops):

Standard Practices

Standard Practices refers to common sense behaviors related to fisting activities. There are two standard practices related to lubrication cleanup.

1

Don gloves after your partner is situated in the sling.

Practices Explained

Who: Top

When: Prior to Insertion

What: Hygiene

Group: Handwashing

If you use gloves to prevent introducing microorganisms into the fist chute, then timing for donning gloves is critical.

Help the bottom get situated in the sling or fisting arena, then put your gloves on immediately before penetration.

Anecdotal Narrative

Larry Shockey, the originator of FISTFEST, shares this piece of advice in his book, the Sacred Art of Fisting:

"I’ve seen lots of tops glove up, put the bottom’s feet into the stirrups, adjust the chains, arrange the papers on the floor, and then reach for the lube. NO! NO! NO! I’ve even had tops drop a glove on the floor and bend down to retrieve it to put it on. NO! Gloves are cheap. It’s easy to forget. Just throw away the contaminated glove and get a clean one."

— Sacred Art of Fisting, 2012

2

Wear gloves in venues with inadequate washing facilities.

Practices Explained

Who: Top

When: Throughout Session

What: Hygiene

Group: Handwashing

Most venues are not built with post-fisting cleanup in mind. Sinks may be too shallow to wash. Soap may be unavailable. Faucets may have restricted water output.

Outdoor venues or semi-public areas usually lack proper cleanup facilities.

Bring and wear gloves when playing at these venues—especially if you are fisting more than one person.

Anecdotal Narrative

I coordinated my first trip to Amsterdam to coincide with the Dirty Dicks monthly fisting party at the Amsterdam Eagle. I packed a small gear bag with lube, poppers, and gloves and headed to the venue to play.

The event did not disappoint. I bottomed for four different guys and topped six. Unfortunately, I only brought four pair of gloves. This led to a little predicament with Rene, my last bottom.

"I'd love to feel your guts when we are done with him" I told Rene as we alternated our hands in and out of Jon's gaping hole.

"Great, I'll go get ready" he replied and promptly disappeared to prep himself and lay claim to a sling.

Meanwhile, Jon had enough pummeling and called for a break-break. I cleaned him up and thanked him for the pleasure of playing inside him, S2S. Then I headed to the bathroom to clean up.

Although I hadn't noticed before (since I had worn gloves), the sink was incredibly shallow and the water only stayed on for a few seconds at a time. Jon was into width-play, so my arms were lube free, but it took ten minutes to completely wash just my hands. After finishing, I hustled out to the sling to delve into Rene's fagpit.

"I was beginning to think you had stood me up" Rene said as I approached.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I didn't realize that cleaning up after Jon would take so much work. The sinks here are shallow and leave much to be desired."

"Well, my desire is for your hand and arm. And my hole, it is anything but shallow! Push it in."

The rest is history.

— FF Chronicles: 18.12.0323

3

Wash hands and exposed areas of the arm thoroughly, even if wearing gloves.

Etiquette Explained

Who: Top

When: Between Partners

What: Hygiene

Group: Handwashing

If you are wearing gloves for hygienic reasons, you still need to wash your hands and lower forearms between partners.

Most gloves cover about about 2.5 centimeters (1 inch) up the wrist. The anal canal is that same length, if not a bit longer. This means that as a top playing with shallow bottoms, your wrist and lower forearm is still likely be exposed to lube. Any deeper play guarantees exposure unless you are wearing opera length gloves.

Washing the hands and forearms prevents transfering microorganisms into your bottom.

Anecdotal Narrative

Erik and I had just wrapped up an intense fisting session where his small arms had slipped in past the elbow—a first for him. He had used both the right and left arms with depth play, but per my request, primarily played with the left arm.

After I said "OK, I'm done!", I asked him to hand me the paper towel roll.

"Oh, I'll clean you up good!" He said.

"I know you will, but it's not me that I'm worried about" I interupted. "Here, give me your arm."

I ripped three full squares of paper towels from the roll and laid them across my chest. Eric placed his arm on the squares, and I wrapped the edges around, covering his arm completely. I then carefully slid the towels down his arm until we passed the fingers.

"What's this for?" he asked.

"I find that if we don't squeegee the lube off now, your sink time will be 5-10 minutes clearing lube off your arm. And while it doesn't matter here with just the two of us and my deep sink, at events, you may not have the luxury of good washing facilities to clean up between bottoms. So when you wrap up with a deep bottom, always clean your arm first before starting on the bottom." I responded.

"Okay, I guess. I still don't understand why" he said, as he began wiping lube from my ass.

"You'll see in a few minutes."

Fast forward eight minutes. Eric is at the sink, scrubbing desparately on his right arm. Since the lube had already dried on this arm, we didn't squeegee it immediately after the session ended.

"I get your point! I've never had to spend this much time cleaning up because I've never had lube this high. The left arm was easy, but this right arm is taking forever."

"Can you imagine if you were playing with a group! High cleanup takes a while, so do what you can to minimize your efforts, but always - always - always respect your bottom and clean up your entire arm so he isn't exposed to contaminants from the last guy."

— FF Chronicles: 21.09.0524

Guides

The following instructional guide(s) will help you:

Steps / Procedure

1. Lay your extended measuring tape on a flat surface with the measurement side facing down.
2. Position your hand on the tape. Your hand will be:
   • Palm down
   • Five centimeters (two inches) from the end of the tape
   • Intersecting the tape perpendicularly, with one end just below the pinky and the other end in the crook of the thumb and index finger
3. Wrap both ends of the tape over the top of your hand.
4. Mark the measurement where the tape intersects.
5. Use the size chart to determine your glove size.

SUPPLIES

• Flexible cloth measuring tape, or...
• Sheet of office paper, pen, and ruler

QUICK REFERENCE

• Anatomy of the Arm and Hand
• Hands: Sizing and Care
• Playroom Design: Glove Dispensary

Print These Instructions | View Demo

Recording Tips / Alternative Methods

If you do not have a measuring tape, take a sheet of letter or legal paper and wrap it around your hand as directed above. Use the long side of the paper, as most hands are eight to ten inches around. Mark where the paper meets, then use a ruler to determine the length of the marked paper.

Secondary with Images and Callouts

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Table Name

	1° Title	2° Title	3° Title	4° Title	5° Title	6° Title
Row Title [A]	1°	2°	3°	4°	5°	6°
Row 1° Title	1°	2°	3°	4°	5°	6°
Row 1° Title	1°	2°	3°	4°	5°	6°
Row 1° Title	1°	2°	3° [B]	4°	5°	6°
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QUICK REFERENCE

• Course
• Course: Section | Article

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