Question: Coronavirus & home sewn masks?

Hiii, not sure which thread to put this in. Hope this ones ok.

An easy way to make surgical masks fit tighter so air does not leak on the sides:

https://www.today.com/health/how-make-mask-fit-better-how-wear-surgical-mask-t189236

I tried it. It works!:)

Surgical face masks appear to be one of the best ways to stop the spread of respiratory droplets. They can also be problematic when it comes to a snug fit, with wearers often noticing gaps on the side of their faces.

Enter a simple hack to improve the fit.

Two viral videos from two dentists demonstrating the same technique during the coronavirus pandemic have received millions of views online.
Click to expand...
 
Gosh that awful checked fabric with movement in front of it.... ugh it's impossible to look at but the finished mask looks a good fit, it it a good fit over the nose. I see so many masks perched on the end of people's noses with huge gaps either side of the nose - almost a waste of time wearing them when all the air can escape.
 
@Keela Too
With masks compulsory in Melbourne for the last 4 months and for some time to come, it suddenly became important to get it right. I've done a fair bit of experimenting over the year and I think your version is by far the most comfortable. The only pressure I can stand on my nose is right at the top.

The nose clamp gave me problems but I've settled on a shaped paperclip for the best seal. The paperclip took some wangling with a couple of pliers to get it right so my glasses never fog up. I sewed a little pocket on the outside at the top so I could take it in and out easily to test.

The only other type I use is the standard blue medical mask with a tissue across the top to prevent fogging. That works well.

@JemPD
Those masks that sit at the end of the nose seem pointless to me too. And they must be uncomfortable because the wearers are constantly hitching them up, touching the mask as they do so. I give the wearers an extra wide berth.
 
oldtimer said:
I give the wearers an extra wide berth.
Click to expand...
yeah :rolleyes:my carer does it... but she's so stressed by the whole situation I cant really point it out without getting my head bitten off lol. I cant give her a wide birth, but she only wears cloth ones outside... She wears an FFP2 indoors which are shaped & i wear one all the time i in contact with her inside & out, as well as very big glasses, so not too worried.
 
oldtimer said:
The nose clamp gave me problems but I've settled on a shaped paperclip for the best seal. The paperclip took some wangling with a couple of pliers to get it right so my glasses never fog up. I sewed a little pocket on the outside at the top so I could take it in and out easily to test.
Click to expand...
We have not needed masks here, so far, fingers crossed. But I have some just in case.

The best thing I have found for the nose bridge wire is standard electrical cable used in house wiring. Not the flexible stuff used in appliance and extension cords, but the stuff used behind the walls. The copper wire used in that is made of fewer strands which are thicker and stiffer, and so it holds it shape better. Also comes with a convenient plastic coating that makes it thicker, helps round off and 'soften' it a bit, and keep the copper from direct contact with the material.
 
Forgot to say that, in Australia at least, the two most common sizes of building wiring cable are 1.5 and 2.5 mm^2.

The 1.5 is for lights and fans, the 2.5 is for power points.

I am using the 2.5.
 
I haven't posted on here for a while, so here's what I've been up to over the summer:



I've made nearly 200 of the things now!

I use aluminium nose strips or rubber-coated soft garden ties for nose shaping. Having the elastic travelling through a channel at the side of the mask also helps fit.

Loads in my stash if anyone still wants one...
 
Did I mention that, in the UK, Terracycle has set up a mask recycling scheme? Not, of course, for masks used in a clinical setting, but for the ones that "normal" people use when out and about, and getting on public transport, and so on.

EDIT: Sorry, probably not the appropriate thread for that comment, since it relates to home-made masks, but I can't find the other one these days.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom