Types of Gauges

[Nick]

Types of Gauges

There are many styles of gauges and to those styles different types, such as a single flared blood wood tunnel. In that particular gauge set you have the type, style and material used to make it.
So let's start off with the basics. There are many different materials used and can make your decision to pick one particular style difficult. I'll list them and the traits of them. I do realize metal is inorganic, but decided to list it by it's self so that it wouldn't be all mashed together.

Materials

Metal

Metal, as it's so commonly referred to. Most of the "metal" gauges are made from surgical steel (or stainless steel) because of it's hypoallergenic nature, it's a great way to gauge your ears without fear of an allergy.
In the metal category you also have Titanium. It's also like surgical steel in the fact that it's bio compatible. In short that means your body won't reject it, or have an adverse reaction unless you're specifically allergic to that. (in which I haven't heard of anyone being)
Now to be safe there are numerous "knock offs" in which I've found an increasing amount at Wal-Mart. From what I've read, they contain Nickel. If anyone's ever bought any other kind of jewelry from there they may know what I'm talking about when I say you get that green, grimy look on the jewelry. Some people may be allergic to it, so I say avoid it.

Inorganic

Such as silicon. It's great to stretch with, but again you can have allergies to it. Silicon expands and contracts very easily so many people bend the gauge to where it bends and slowly let it expand and thus gauging it. Another inorganic gauge is Acrylic. Very common to see many people use this and again I'd be careful for this because of allergies. I would not suggest trail and error to see if you are, but if it's your only way to find out then be careful and be ready to either gauge down and take them out if you develop a reaction to it. Glass also another inorganic gauge that is commonly used. Made of various types of glasses Pyrex is the normal type of glass used because of it's durability and it doesn't shatter as say glass from a window does. It's used in everyday items such as cook wear and even beakers. I know of no allergies to glass, but if you're reading this and you are I would suggest not using them.

Organic

Such a favorite of people who are content with their size of gauge, due to the somewhat expensive nature of them. Wood gauges are made just of that, various types of wood. There are very exotic types of wood used and the more exotic, normally the more expensive. A few types include, Bamboo, Bloodwood, Palm, and Yellow Jackfruit. In the organic category you also have stone. Stone, I believe, is very self explanatory being made of a gem, stone, or a jewel. Along with wood, stone is also very good for your ears. Wood and stone are very absorbent materials, so as your ears produces amount of dead skin(some may call it ear cheese) the wood or stone takes it in and reduces the smell of it to a very minimal or even none at all.

It should also be noted you should not gauge with Wood. In some cases that have been reported the wood actually infused with the ear. When the persons who gauges their ears with it said that because of stretching too quickly it made a blowout and the wood gave the ear places where to heal with. Now this may not be the case with everyone, but as my mom always says, "Better safe than sorry"

Styles

Now we're into the styles of the gauges, in which I'll do exactly the same as before in stating the pros and cons of each style.


Flared

Flared refers not to the actual size of the gauge, rather the lip of the gauge. It's sometimes used to make the gauge look bigger, or hold the gauges in you ears without the use of an o-ring. You can have a gauge with a Single Flare, or Double Flare. Single flare means that one side of the gauge has a lip on it. Normally on a Single or Double flared gauge the size of the lip may be up to one size bigger than the actual gauge. If you're considering gauging with either style, most prefer the single flare. The only difference between the two is that with a Single Flare normally has a groove to put an o-ring in it so it will be secure in your ear as opposed to the double flare in which the flare is on both sides and stays in your ear. Double flare may also be called saddles, or saddlebags.

Bolt or Screw on

You also have bolt on or screw on gauges. These normally have a flare on both sides but as they're so intelligently named on side of the or even both sides either screw or bolt on. So think of it like a bottle cap, you unscrew one side of it, stick the gauge through your ear then screw the back on the gauge. Just remember overuse of the screw or bolt ons may result in wear and tear on the threads. This can lead to the back randomly falling off, so
be careful with them!

Spirals
Spirals are somewhat like a taper. It's literally in a spiral shape and the largest part of it which is at the end is the actual size of the gauge. Some people have used them as tapers and I don't dismiss the use of them as such. Be cautious because unlike the taper which is straight and shorter (normally), spirals are sometimes long and of course have curves which could end up being a regretful thing after you get halfway through and decide you don't wish to go further along with that size.

Types

Plugs

A plug can be single flared, double flared, or a screw or bolt on. A plug is fully solid material all the way through. It has no holes in them and they can be any of the aforementioned styles or material. Plugs can have designs on them, in wood, they may have something cut into them such as a star. In Acrylic it may have a star in a different color in the middle of it.

Tunnels

Tunnels are just that, a tunnel. It has the majority of the inner most part of the gauge out of it. It can be any style of gauge and any material can be used to make it. Unlike plugs, tunnels can not have designs in them due to the lack of room to put the design on.

Just remember everyone's body is different and stretching your ears is based off of your own ability to heal. So be careful and make sure to read the guide for stretching ears here. Be careful and happy stretching! When you decide what type, style and material you want to use head on over to Ear-Gauges for all your needs!

If you have any questions after reading this, feel free to email me, my email is listed on my profile.

This article was written by Nick Gray.

[corazon_de_oro]

Pretty good except for "gauges" doesn't mean jewelry or stretching... it's just a measurement of size so you're using the word wrong. Also, you should never stretch with silicone and it's not a good idea to stretch with spirals.