Mask designs - one post for them all???

[Paul_B]

Just watched a video on how to make a face mask from a sock. I reckon a double layer of kitchen tissue inside to throw away and it would be ok. If a new or very clean sock.

Simply cut the toe off, slit it open in the inside curve where it goes on top of your foot then a little corner cut off and a curved slot near the side edge and it's done.

Main advantage is the heel goes around your chin and the resulting stretchy fit means no gaps at the sides like surgical masks have. Overall a very neat fit.

Cons are if your head doesn't fit your small feet. Not everyone is to scale everywhere!!

So has anyone seen any good homemade mask ideas? Simpler the better I think.

 

[Paul_B]

BTW I saw an old man at the supermarket wearing an old hankie with boot laces stitched into the sides and tied around his head. Not bad and it fitted rather well too. Better than shop bought surgical masks I've seen people wearing that really didn't fit resulting in massive air gaps at the sides.

 

[santaman2000]

In general I haven’t been wearing one but in those places that require them I’ve used one of two choices:
1) Wear the one they provide,
-or-
2) I wear a bandana tied the same as a stagecoach robber.

 

[Mesquite]

I've sewn several of these masks up for both myself and the wife.



They're very easy to sew and as you can increase the filtration level by using non woven material like a wet wipe or J cloth so you've a reasonable quality dust mask as well.

There's 4 different sizes of the masks for children aged 3 and upwards to adult men and women. More details can be found here along with links to the various patterns.

https://www.craftpassion.com/face-mask-sewing-pattern/#face-mask-video

 

[sunndog]

 

[SaraR]

Just watched a video on how to make a face mask from a sock. I reckon a double layer of kitchen tissue inside to throw away and it would be ok. If a new or very clean sock.

Simply cut the toe off, slit it open in the inside curve where it goes on top of your foot then a little corner cut off and a curved slot near the side edge and it's done.

Main advantage is the heel goes around your chin and the resulting stretchy fit means no gaps at the sides like surgical masks have. Overall a very neat fit.

Cons are if your head doesn't fit your small feet. Not everyone is to scale everywhere!!

So has anyone seen any good homemade mask ideas? Simpler the better I think.

I think something with smaller holes like fabric from a high quality bed sheet would be better than knitted fabrics, like in socks, and 2 layers holding a 3rd layer of some different material like kitchen roll, coffee or hoover filter or whatever else you can think of, would be more effective. The better the fit around the face the better, but most important - don't touch anything but the straps when putting it on/ taking it off.

 

[Robbi]

Where's Crosslandkelly when you need him ?

 

[Stew]

Filter and straps still to be added...

 

[Robbi]

Love that !!

 

[Stew]

I've sewn several of these masks up for both myself and the wife.

View attachment 58855

They're very easy to sew and as you can increase the filtration level by using non woven material like a wet wipe or J cloth so you've a reasonable quality dust mask as well.

There's 4 different sizes of the masks for children aged 3 and upwards to adult men and women. More details can be found here along with links to the various patterns.

https://www.craftpassion.com/face-mask-sewing-pattern/#face-mask-video

Do you find the ear loops sturdy enough? Also curious if you find them annoying.

 

[Mesquite]

Do you find the ear loops sturdy enough? Also curious if you find them annoying.

The cord doesn't loop around my ears.

Both cords go around my head and the tension is adjusted and held with a cord lock on the bottom cord. If you look at the video there's a demo of how they are about 48 seconds in

 

[Stew]

Nice - that's much better. I've used disposables with that sort of system and it's good.

 

[Corso]

If I'm made to wear one outside working hours

it'll be this one

 

[Paul_B]

I think the sock idea is as a holder for kitchen paper. Obviously not enough on its own.

There's a site called smart air with good research into fabrics to use. I'll dig the link out. Not everything you think might be good is for various reasons. Coffee filter is very good for filtration but airflow is too low to be useable in DIY masks. Canvas 0.4 to 0.5 mm thick is good, two layers of t-shirt is ok. One layer isn't. Bandanas, buffs and scarves are absolutely pants. Natural fibres are better than synthetics because the fibres aren't smooth which helps with filtration.

I've read research by people from porton down on materials for homemade masks in an influenza outbreak. Published 2013 so they've been considering this for some time. Conclusion is they're all no good for stopping you get the bug but they can potentially offer some effect at stopping you spread the bug if you're the infected one.

Overall anything that helps is better than nothing but it's got issues such as behaviour modification. Wearing a mask could mean you're more likely to go out when it's better to stay at home. Potentially homemade masks could make you behave more riskily.

I'll dig out the links later.

 

[Paul_B]

Big Agnes mask design

Loads of mask related information on this blog.

Interesting tests on a variety of materials.

Research into masks by people from Porton Down and PHE

I just thought these might be of interest.

 

[santaman2000]

I think the sock idea is as a holder for kitchen paper. Obviously not enough on its own.

There's a site called smart air with good research into fabrics to use. I'll dig the link out. Not everything you think might be good is for various reasons. Coffee filter is very good for filtration but airflow is too low to be useable in DIY masks. Canvas 0.4 to 0.5 mm thick is good, two layers of t-shirt is ok. One layer isn't. Bandanas, buffs and scarves are absolutely pants. Natural fibres are better than synthetics because the fibres aren't smooth which helps with filtration.

I've read research by people from porton down on materials for homemade masks in an influenza outbreak. Published 2013 so they've been considering this for some time. Conclusion is they're all no good for stopping you get the bug but they can potentially offer some effect at stopping you spread the bug if you're the infected one.

Overall anything that helps is better than nothing but it's got issues such as behaviour modification. Wearing a mask could mean you're more likely to go out when it's better to stay at home. Potentially homemade masks could make you behave more riskily.

I'll dig out the links later.

You realize that the purpose of the masks is to prevent the wearer from spreading the disease, not to prevent catching it. At the end of the day I’m going out anyway: the mask is just to satisfy minimum requirements of property owners for admission. Anywhere else I don’t wear one.

 

[Paul_B]

Yes, I realize that but the point is they're not that effective at either if they're not fitting well and of the better material options. Of course if you're only wearing something for show to meet requirements to go out then anything could do.

 

[santaman2000]

Yes, I realize that but the point is they're not that effective at either if they're not fitting well and of the better material options. Of course if you're only wearing something for show to meet requirements to go out then anything could do.

A properly fitted medical grad mask will indeed protect the wearer. However if anything less as we’ve agreed is to protect the people the wearer might encounter then the level of protection is more broadly defined than simple filtration. While a bandana (or any less than perfect filtration material) might let more contaminated particles through, it’s also true that simple filtration isn’t the entirety of their value. You also have to remember that any restriction on flow reduces the distance the contaminant is spread.

All that said, a bandana has the advantages that it’s natural material (most are cotton) and that you can pick the best filtration material you can find and wrap it into the fold before tying it on. A shemagh has those same advantages plus it’s bigger and easier to tie own and has a certain entertainment factor going through the gates to get on base.

There are no requirements here to “go out.” However there are requirements to enter some places such as most clinics and government facilities.

 

[Broch]

That Porton Down study is interesting but confirms what we all suspect - if it's good enough to filter it's uncomfortable to wear

 

[Corso]

A shift in full PPE is not fun...

Thankfully we have a 4 tier system and only rarely have to wear the full garb for short periods

Its also been a problem that the masks don't fit all face shapes