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Who else has them? I'm at 7/16s but I'm going down because I'm getting ready to enlist in the army.

I feel old. I had to Google just to find out what you are on about.

filbert wrote:I feel old. I had to Google just to find out what you are on about.

This. And i'm only 17 >.<

I think my back's going. Can you pre-chew my food? GET OFFA MY LAWN!

I also had to Google it as well. >_>

Sure are a lot of emos with them.

Also this guy.

Why would you not just go the whole hog and have a plate inserted into your bottom lip like those Amazonian tribes?

Would be good for eating on the move for today's busy lifestyle!

I used to have ear rings in my lobes and still have one in my helix, but no way would I get a gauge done.

Until I read the rest of this thread I thought you were feeling down because you had some medical problem with your ears and could not join the army until you had healed.

Though I don't really understand willfully maiming yourself anyway

Without trying to sound rude if none of you have gauges you have no reason to post in this thread. And to be honest besides those who actually said they don't know what it is many of these posts show me that none of you know anything about gauges.

So wouldn't you be better off posting on an ear-gauge owner's forum then rather than the OT section of a wargaming site devoted to small plastic soldiers?

I figured an ear gauge was some sort of hearing aid...

I know some people with them, althought i've never understood the apeal of stretching a hole in your ear but whatever.

Oh, you didn't mean a gauge of how good your hearing is

No I find ear stretchers to be foul but I know lots of people who have poker chip sized stretchers in. I also know a guy who tried to do the lipplate thing with an ear stretcher and an apple corer...

Warboss Imbad Ironskull wrote:Without trying to sound rude if none of you have gauges you have no reason to post in this thread. And to be honest besides those who actually said they don't know what it is many of these posts show me that none of you know anything about gauges.

I have a micrometer, that's a gauge.

I am also also supplying a company who makes pressure gauges.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gauge

All different gauges.

filbert wrote:So wouldn't you be better off posting on an ear-gauge owner's forum then rather than the OT section of a wargaming site devoted to small plastic soldiers?

Seriously? Your suggesting that I shoulden't put an off topic post into the off topic section of the website (fyi this section was made specifically for that purpose ergo the title Off Topi)? Tell me how that makes any kind of sense. I bet you say the same thing to all the other Off Topic discussions posted in the Off Topic thread

@Mr. Burning: Nice try but the topic is specifically about ear gauges as has been made clear.

On a side not I do think it's kind of funny that some people don't know what ear guages are? besides just seeing holes in peoples ears here is some information for everyone.

Any piercing of any type (besides fakes) are guages. By getting your ear pierced you are getting a ear guage just a smaller size one although it generally isn't considered gauging your ears unless you stretch your ears to a larger size.

Ear guaging is a VERY old tradition amongst multiple cultures throughout the world, the earliest history of ear gauges started with conquistador interactions with Mayan and Aztecs and with early interactions with Polynesian cultures most notably the Maori. However tribes and cultures all over the world including those of Asia, Europe and Africa have used ear guages. In addition it is usually has a religious signifigance (for those who didn't just do it as a fad).

Despite what many people believe gauging your ears (or most other parts of the body) is not perminant and dosen't even require surgery to fix. Now yes some of the larger (dinner plate) sizes are impossible and the only way to remove them is to have them actually cut off. But relativly decent sizes (which can vary depending on who you ask) will usually shrink back to there normal size or slightly larger if given enough time depending on how elastic the persons skin is. I used to be able to fit my finger through my ear and now after shrinking I can barely fit a pencil through and I'm not done.

There are 2 ways to gauge your ears, one is to gradually stretch them using tapers which hurts less and is the safer method. The other is to actually have your ear piercied with a gun that uses larger gauge earings (normal earings are normally 14-16 gauge) but the largest size that this can reach is a 10. This method is irreversable as it actually punches out a chunk of your ear like a hole punch and is prone to infection.

For those who don't know the sizes of most ear guages are measured by 2 with the smaller the number being the larger the guage size. As I said normal earings are either 14-16 guage depending on the maker, the sizes then increase to 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, 0 and then 00. After 00 you get to sizes that are fractions of inches such as 7/16s which was the size I was at before I started shrinking my ears.

And just incase anyone is wondering the military (at least the Army) does what's called a flashlight test where they shine a flashlight behind your ear and if they can see direct light coming through your ear (not a red glow to your skin) they won't accept you at that time because piercings of any kind are not allowed and those that are are one pair of earings for women.

I find something just a bit a silly about the fact that the military won't accept people who have person-made holes their body, when one of the primary responsibilities of the profession is to be in situations where you have a nontrivial chance of having person-made holes put in your body.

At first I thought it was a medical condition.

Then I was reminded of this show.

That's Quark, by the way. Intergalactic garbagemen.

How does this relate? Ficus (he's an alien plant) bottom right.
One episode he had a guage in his ear (an actual moving coil needle gauge).
It was needed because he was monitoring his temperature because it was almost reproductive season for his kind.


Then I read further and discovered it was that 'tribal' thing that all-the-cool-kids are doing (like scarification and branding) and I was, like, all 'meh!', innit?

Chongara wrote:I find something just a bit a silly about the fact that the military won't accept people who have person-made holes their body, when one of the primary responsibilities of the profession is to be in situations where you have a nontrivial chance of having person-made holes put in your body.

That's true, unless your job in the military isn't a direct combat profession. But by not accepting people with self made holes in their bodies they can prevent them from having more unintentional holes. I knew I had to take them out before I even met a recruiter but he said piercings wern't allowed because they could get caught in combat situations or used against us in case of torture. Then he tried to make a joke about my ear lobe getting snagged on barbed wire that wasen't very funny

Jeez, I don't have any but at least i know what they are. . . old people.

And at least 3/4 of my school's student body has them, i've seen some pretty crazy ones, and a some really cool ones as well.

Warboss Imbad Ironskull wrote:

filbert wrote:So wouldn't you be better off posting on an ear-gauge owner's forum then rather than the OT section of a wargaming site devoted to small plastic soldiers?

Seriously? Your suggesting that I shoulden't put an off topic post into the off topic section of the website (fyi this section was made specifically for that purpose ergo the title Off Topi)? Tell me how that makes any kind of sense. I bet you say the same thing to all the other Off Topic discussions posted in the Off Topic thread

Mine is currently about a 2 - 0 gauge, though it was 00 at one point, I don't put the eyelet in as much these days so its shrunk a bit. I wouldn't worry too much about the Military, I did five years active and it was never an issue except when I was using it as a pencil holder. (That gets on the sergeants nerves)

I used to have my ear peirced back in elementary school, but it didn't feel right so I took it out. First guy, and the only guy I beleive, to have his ear peirced in that class.

Warboss Imbad Ironskull wrote:Who else has them? I'm at 7/16s but I'm going down because I'm getting ready to enlist in the army.

Gauges are really fun....when someone fish hooks them in a fight. Seen it happen...removed ALL my peircings that night and never put them back in.

Iskandur wrote:Mine is currently about a 2 - 0 gauge, though it was 00 at one point, I don't put the eyelet in as much these days so its shrunk a bit. I wouldn't worry too much about the Military, I did five years active and it was never an issue except when I was using it as a pencil holder. (That gets on the sergeants nerves)

that reminds me, I lost a gauge one day and I didn't want to walk around with one gauge in so I put a pencil through my ear and went about my buisness. When I went into one of my classes a girl saw the pencil in my ear and FREAKED OUT because she thought someone had stabbed me in the ear so she screamed

Anyway what branch where you in? and did you have them when you enlisted? I'm sure not every CO is the same or handles it the same way. If the recruiter dosen't say anything when I go to talk to him I won't worry about it of course I won't wear them at work.

Warboss Imbad Ironskull wrote:

Iskandur wrote:Mine is currently about a 2 - 0 gauge, though it was 00 at one point, I don't put the eyelet in as much these days so its shrunk a bit. I wouldn't worry too much about the Military, I did five years active and it was never an issue except when I was using it as a pencil holder. (That gets on the sergeants nerves)

that reminds me, I lost a gauge one day and I didn't want to walk around with one gauge in so I put a pencil through my ear and went about my buisness. When I went into one of my classes a girl saw the pencil in my ear and FREAKED OUT because she thought someone had stabbed me in the ear so she screamed

Anyway what branch where you in? and did you have them when you enlisted? I'm sure not every CO is the same or handles it the same way. If the recruiter dosen't say anything when I go to talk to him I won't worry about it of course I won't wear them at work.

I was in the Army. I had the hole in my ear (only the left is pierced) at 00 at the time, though I didn't wear any jewelry to the recruiting office. Honestly, hardly anyone notices. Don't make a big deal out of it and agree that you won't wear anything in it on post if someone brings it up. Like they say, everything's waiverable.

hmm ok