My greatest appreciation to all the folks who’ve kept this thread going. I would never have been curious enough to look into pumping had it not been for this thread popping up every time I pulled up the “latest posts” link.
I’ve been at this (pumping in general) for about a week or so, and I first wanted to try pumping without the condom. I kept to 5” Hg and did notice both fluid build up and “spongy” erections. I then tried with a condom and one thing came to my attention.
I fucking hate condoms.
How the hell do you people do it? I can pull a stiff one when I’m not thinking I need to pull a stiff one to pull a stiff one. In other words, I go soft when I either have to put a condom on, measure myself, take a picture of myself, flash some of my wife’s friends, get in a hot tub with 17 of my closest friends, etc.
The few times I have been erect enough to put a condom on, I immediately go soft and stuff it into the tube. From there I pump to 5” Hg. The feel is definitely different. Very little fluid buildup and the spongy erection seems to be gone. I say seems to be because I’ve become paranoid now.
I do have a question though…
First, the condom is open to the vacuum. That tells me that the pressure inside the condom (between the condom and the skin) is the same as the pressure in the empty part of the tube. If it weren’t, air would be sucked in or drawn out of the condom to approximately equalize the pressure.
…is where I’m puzzled. The pressure of the tube, say 5” Hg must be equalized within the system. (I know I’m getting the terms wrong, it’s not pressure but vacuum we’re talking about).
Without a condom, the vacuum is applied directly to the skin. The skin stretches out enough to equalize 5” Hg (it’s own tensile strength). Underneath the skin, for the sake of simplicity, lies the tunica. The system between the tunica and the skin, during an erection without the tube, is stable (ie the skin pushes down on the tunica to prevent further expansion). The minute you apply the vacuum, the skin does not put pressure on the tunica and the tunica is free to expand further.
[On a sidenote, the penis ceases to engorge further bacuse the tunica is stretched to the point where the pressure inside (the carnevosa) equals the tensile force being applied by the tunica. The skin, I believe, plays a minor role.]
There comes a point where the tunica needs to stop expanding because of it’s own tensile force. Once that point is achieved, and the skin is still retracting from the tunica, the system needs to stabilize itself with lymphatic fluid. Enough fluid comes in to fill whatever space needs to be filled.
With a condom, the fluid does not need to come into play as much because the condom pushes in to equalize the point where the tunica ceases to push out.
This is the point where my brain collapses. Everything I’ve said applies to the side to side (or lateral) axis. Lengthwise, or longitudinally, the force is equalized by the septum and the ligaments, not the skin. Since the condom is not anchored in this direction, the penis negates the pressure internally.
I’m thinking as I write this, so please bear with me. I believe, the pump/condom combo really diverts the stress on the penis more on the length axis and less on the width axis. Correct?
Just as an FYI (because I’m a nerdy geek), our atmosphere is 29.92” of Hg. When we inflict 5” Hg on the dial, the pressure in the tube is really 24.92” Hg. 1 atm = 29.92” Hg = 14.7 psi = 761.84 mm Hg. Lastly, 1” Hg = 0.49 psi
If girth is king, why the hell does everyone keep talking about length?