Hilltrek masks

[John Fenna]

I go back to work today - dealing with tourists.....
We are being issued with visor, mask, sanitisers (hand and surface), being given roped off areas to keep the hordes at bay while we give our talks and the numbers of folk on site are being restricted. Hopefully the combo will keep us safe. If visitors are misbehaving I have the power to kick them off site or even close the site.
If each little precaution does a little good hope fully it will all add up to "Good" ... as they say "Every little helps"
When I am out in town shopping I always use a mask - home made, 4 layer and a beggar to breathe through - and have made 6 of them so they can be washed or left in the open air for 72hrs plus between usages.
I - as yet - have had no symptoms...

 

[SCOMAN]

I’ve made a dozen from large bandanas as I expect to start spending time away from home. Wearing one is a pain but if it helps me or someone else then it’s a winner. I just sat on a ferry for two hours last night wearing one, a pain but better than a ventilator by all accounts. Less fun than the anti-flash hoods I once wore but more comfortable than an S10 gas mask.

Whilst the bandana material appears to be a bit loose weave I make them so there is four layers to breathe through. I’ve also left them so a ‘filter‘ of sorts could be inserted if needed. At this stage of a pandemic, which we believe I had a touch off, it seems mad to only now start wearing a mask. Nevertheless better late than never.

 

[The Frightful]

Misting happens with everything I have tried!
First I used a Buff, then cotton twill masks (2 layers and non-woven interlining) and cotton lawn with single layer of non woven interlining...
If the weave is tight enough to filter viruses then it will be hard to breath through!

Spittle may work on glasses, its a pre requisite when diving /snorkeling. Worth a punt, rub spittle on lenses, rinse with water
( may have to be saline) then shake off, worth a punt

 

[Paul_B]

Soap on the lens that is left to dry apparently works. Obviously clear soap and probably diluted with water to allow it to coat well.

 

[Paul_B]

I think the idea that you should wait until the proof that homemade face coverings work is there, well it seems a bit wrong. To me if there's a potential way it can help you wear it until it is proven it doesn't. Afterall what harm can actually wear it and you'll never get proof one way or another without widespread use. When there's evidence proving it's not doing anything then stop wearing them. Even marginal gains could help.

The other point is it should never be the only method for controlling risk it has never been the only method. Countries where mask use has been common for years are also countries with very good hygiene practices? They're also countries with a good track record with COVID. First is distancing, second is regular have washing and other hygiene practices. There is simply no reason for face coverings to prevent the other, more effective and proven techniques to be in place. Human nature in our country might be the biggest issue. I might have misunderstood but it seems to me there's been a few comments that imply people believe face covering is the only technique people wearing them are using or using masks will suddenly stop the other hygiene and distancing being used. Not true at all.

 

[Nice65]

@SCOMAN Thank you, that’s pretty much my view. If wearing a mask is uncomfortable, then you’re going to hate the ventilator. So, while we’re all doing our reading and self educating, thinking about it, it might be best to err on the side of caution and not wait until July 24th before our shoddy government says “Today’s the day” and we could be prosecuted for not wearing a face covering. We all really ought to be using common sense and not attempting to find the perfect solution.

The reduction of risk whether it be by increased ventilation, face coverings, hand washing, not touching mouth/nose, isolating, social distancing, all add up to a decrease in the spread of the virus. It’s not going to be won on a mask, but if a surgeon can perform a complex 7hr operation while wearing a mask (because it is a known way to reduce infection) then our half hour trip to the supermarket shouldn’t be a problem. I’m having trouble arguing this. It’s, like, wear a mask, y’know just in case. No one’s going to tell you in later years they thought you were a prat for doing so.

 

[TLM]

As in #40, wearing a mask might very well get people thinking that it is all that's needed. As long as we don't know what is the main infection route. If the "authorities" know they are not telling us plebes. I suspect they just think that they should be seen doing something, as usual.

By the way should I be distancing up or down, socially I mean?

 

[Silverclaws2]

One of the benefits of where I live is that I am under an hour from Hilltrek, lovely people, lovely products (I have an organic ventile shirt on the way for summer).

One of my oldest friends runs a care home nearby and Hilltrek gave away many of these to them and the other care homes in the area.

I ordered four this morning for my family as we have been advised to wear them shopping in Scotland.

They are great people, if you are unable to make a covering for yourself this is a great alternative and they are using profits to keep supplying where they are needed.

Ventile Face Mask

hilltrek.co.uk

Ventile? My experience of Ventile through once having a double Ventile parka ( Survival Aids Arctic Ranger Mk2) is that Ventile is really good at stopping water when it was wet but in that it also inhibited perspiration control aka 'breathing', to conclude Ventile though a tight woven cotton cloth it would not be my first choice for mask material.

As is I am comfortable with my form fitting three layer cotton bandana masks of which I have been using sing the beginning of April and prior to making them I held myself in terms as sewing as being competent at survival stitching only. They do have provision for HEPA filter inclusion built in via a filter pocket.

 

[demographic]

The two major factors in the transmission of the virus -
1/ The density of the population
2/ The density of the population.

South Korea is ranked 23rd in the world for population density, the UK is ranked as being 49th.
Clearly there are other more significant factors.

 

[John Fenna]

Not only Population density but also the density of the population....

 

[TLM]

Not only Population density but also the density of the population....

I might have got it or might not...

 

[John Fenna]

The folk that are not too dense will have got it ... like they will not be too dense to understand about "Social Distancing" and other ways of helping prevent the spread of C-19

 

[TLM]

too dense to understand about "Social Distancing"

Yup, but should I go up or down?

 

[Broch]

Depends on whether you want to be looked up to or looked down upon

 

[TLM]

Depends on whether you want to be looked up to or looked down upon

I would prefer to be invisible from either direction.

Social psychologist son laughed long when he first time saw the term used.

 

[demographic]

The folk that are not too dense will have got it ... like they will not be too dense to understand about "Social Distancing" and other ways of helping prevent the spread of C-19

Will my 86 year old mother be less affected if she gets it from a thick person who doesn't know better or a bright one who doesn't care?

For me thats the reason why we need clear guidlines. To ensure the population as a whole understands how to do this properly.
Like in South Korea who despite having a higher population per unit area and less advance warning than the UK have fared far and away better than the UK's woefully inadiquate flapping about, U turns and top down bovine excrement.
They have had masks from the start, a reasonably effective track and trace scheme and I'm sure there's other factors I've not considered.

 

[John Fenna]

A bright one who does not care? By my logic not caring is being dense!
A truely bright person would care IMHO
The way the Koreans acted was far from dense and that outweighed the population density

 

[Silverclaws2]

The problem with the UK compared to places that appear to have got it right can perhaps be explained by what kind of society we are in terms of trust, how well do we trust each other and authority to describe a high trust or low trust society.

And mask wearing, I consider mask wearing as an act of adapting to survive, it in conjunction with all other measures might work and then again it might not, but at least one can say they have tried.

 

[Wildgoose]

I got the train for the first time since the face mask rule came in yesterday. On my carriage of 8 people 2 wore masks correctly, 1 had no mask at all and the rest wore them down as beard guards.