Mask PSA

21 May 2020, 09:22 AM

ShiroKuro

Thanks! I'll have to try that.

What I have found is that I can't make it work with any of the cloth masks I've tried. But I do have some masks similar to the one in this photo, I think. They have a metal wire across the top so you can mold it to your nose better. Using that kind of mask, plus a folded up tissue, I was able to get it so that no fogging occurred and I had the mask on for a few hours.

The other thing I found is that it's much easier to breath and talk with a mask like the one in this photo. I think the cloth masks I have don't have enough pleats in them and need to be wider (by wide I mean the distance from nose to chin, not ear to ear, which I would call length, but who knows!)

Anyway, this is obviously going to be something we'll all have to figure out.

I do think comfort and non-fogging etc. are important, because if people wear masks and discover that they can't see and they can't breathe, they won't wear them.

21 May 2020, 09:35 AM

rontuner

Yes. Glasses and masks are a tough combo.

Add to the above - if you have multiple pairs of glasses, try them all with a mask. I found one heavier and larger frame helps hold the paper mask in place around my nose and prevent fogging.

21 May 2020, 10:30 AM

jodi

You really need a wire Over the nose in the cloth masks, I have to pinch it just so to make it work with my glasses. And some of my cloth masks have such a tight weave that I can’t move very fast in them or I get out of breath! I have found that having adjustable ear thingies - where the ties (made out of old T-shirts) are separate pieces held with a large plastic bead - helps with the fit.

21 May 2020, 10:33 AM

pianojuggler

I sewed a thin tube into the top edge and put a wire in it. Also this one is extra-tall to keep my beard under control. I think it's about 10 inches top to bottom. It could have used another pleat. The others that I've made are about 8 1/2 inches (18 inch piece of fabric and a seam allowance) tall. They seem to work pretty well.

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21 May 2020, 10:36 AM

pianojuggler

http://well-temperedforum.grou...643981497#9643981497

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mod-in-training.

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21 May 2020, 11:23 AM

wtg

I don't sew, so I haven't been making any masks, but I had an idea.....

I noticed a common household item that gets thrown out that I thought might work in a mask as the pinchy metal thing to keep it on your nose. It's the plastic coated piece of metal that comes on most bags of coffee that you use to reseal the bag. You know, the strip that you pinch around the edges of the bag to keep it closed after you roll the bag up.

I'm thinking if it's cut in half, it would work in a homemade cloth mask.

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We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love… and then we return home. - Australian Aboriginal proverb

Bazootiehead-in-training

21 May 2020, 12:02 PM

pianojuggler

The heavy-duty wire ties that you typically find on things like power cords and computer cables also work well. Somehow the wire and plastic combo holds a bend really well. Not sure how many times you can bend it, straighten it and bend it again. I've found that when you launder a mask, the wire tends to get kinda mangled. So far, I've been able to straighten them out several times and they still work.

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mod-in-training.

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21 May 2020, 12:16 PM

ShiroKuro

I can't sew and don't have access to a sewing machine.

I would really prefer a cloth mask that I could wash and reuse. But until I can find one that doesn't smother me and that I can prevent from fogging up my glasses, I'll be using the disposable ones. I took a hint from Jon and when possible, I will reuse the disposable ones (after letting them sit for a week or so)...

21 May 2020, 01:08 PM

dolmansaxlil

My husband wears glasses and the cloth masks I’ve made initially fog up his glasses but then stop after he’s been wearing it a few minutes. I actually haven’t worn my mask because I don’t go out. But it looks like we will have access to school (no students until September, thankfully) so it’ll come out then.

21 May 2020, 01:43 PM

Nina

I suddenly flashed on the antidote for swimming goggles fogging up in the pool: spit/lick the inside of the lens. I wonder if that would work for glasses and masks?

21 May 2020, 01:48 PM

ShiroKuro

I have two different pairs of glasses, one for piano/computer and one for everything else.

Both have some kind of coating on them. I've read about various ways to prevent the fogging, but I don't want to risk messing up the coating.

I would like to just stick with my surgical style mask (unless I can truly find a viable cloth alternative), now that I had a trial run, I know I can spend several hours wearing it and be able to talk etc. But I feel like the next thing will be peer-pressure not to wear disposable masks....

21 May 2020, 01:57 PM

pianojuggler

Ron says he has a spray bottle of Everclear and spritzes his mask with it before setting it aside to re-use.

I was at Total Whine and More and they have bottles of 80% alcohol (basically Everclear, but marked "for external use only) for a few bucks less than Everclear. 750 ml should last quite a while.

Maybe we need to pair up the WTF sewing people with the non-sewing people to make some cloth masks. I do need to secure more fabric.

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mod-in-training.

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21 May 2020, 02:57 PM

ShiroKuro

What is Everclear?

Re reusing masks, I read somewhere about cleaning them, and something about how spraying non-cloth masks will lead to them breaking down over time... But I figure that if I can get at least two wearings out of the disposables that will help a lot.

21 May 2020, 03:14 PM

Steve Miller

quote:
Originally posted by ShiroKuro:
What is Everclear?

Re reusing masks, I read somewhere about cleaning them, and something about how spraying non-cloth masks will lead to them breaking down over time... But I figure that if I can get at least two wearings out of the disposables that will help a lot.

I know people who iron their masks. The heat is supposed to kill the virus.