Author Topic: Are you making your own face masks or anything else?  (Read 4256 times)

gunwharfman

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I've been thinking about it, I have material, needles and thread and a fair amount of elasticated cord in my garage.

I'm already using my homemade elasticated-around-the-wrist hand Goretex tubes (cut off sleeves from an old jacket) to open doors, etc, they work very well, never thought for one second I would be using them for this, I only made them to keep my hands dry in the rain.

I've already seen a Deliveroo cyclist in the area that's adapted his cycle hat, thanks to 'Sellotape' he now has a full face mask. No idea how it works, how he breathes and so on but it looked very futuristic!

I also have my wrap-around wind glasses but have not yet decided to adapt and use them yet.

Are you using your hiking and camping knowledge to help you through this difficulty?

ninthace

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Re: Are you making your own face masks or anything else?
« Reply #1 on: 11:12:58, 30/03/20 »
On another thread the use of a Buff was discussed.  It would require careful removal though, to prevent the transfer of virus particles to the face or into the air and would have to be thoroughly cleaned between use.
WHO wisdom is that masks for the layman are best avoided unless you actually have the disease, when they will act as a droplet trap.  They have to fitted correctly to stand any chance of working and they have to be of the right sort of material and pattern to work at all.  If they are not fitted correctly you end up fiddling with them which encourages facial contact and of course they concentrate viral particles close to your face which could be a hazard during removal and disposal.  In fact, if they leak they would concentrate particles on your face that may otherwise be inhaled and exhaled.
Clearly they have a role in areas where there is a high viral burden in the atmosphere and they are of the right type, being worn by a trained user.  For the non medical wearer, they are probably more of  a psychological comfort than an effective barrier.


The prevalent wearing of masks in the orient is actually more of a cultural thing.
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mountaingal

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Re: Are you making your own face masks or anything else?
« Reply #2 on: 11:25:21, 30/03/20 »
I am going to make one. It's very frustrating and scary to see people (incl me) wandering around without face masks, not knowing who is carrying the virus without symptoms. I feel exposed. A week ago, I'd just escaped from Cyprus which was about to shut down, and come back to UK. Although they only found infections lately, they quickly adapted the advice of wearing masks. On the last day, the bus driver complained to me for not wearing a mask and almost refused to put me on. In the end, he told me to sit at the back. I had to go to the airport to come home. People in the Far Eastern countries are wearing masks. They have been more successful in containing. Face mask should be worn in the public as well as keeping 2 meters away from each other. There are occasions when it's not possible to keep 2 meters away. We have to do everything we can to stop spreading. It was a bad advice for the government to say 'Face mask does not stop you getting infected'. It may not help yourself but it can stop spreading to the others. When people carrying virus without symptoms talk, they are spluttering the droplets.   Even health professionals can't get ones, so the government is staying away from the subject :-X .
People want to believe what they want to believe when there are conflicting advices. But I want to do as much as I can.
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/03/would-everyone-wearing-face-masks-help-us-slow-pandemic#
We always wore washable reusable face masks when we caught cold, not to spread the virus to the others when I was a child in Japan. They are made of gauze. Now shops are closed. I thought about checking the surgical gauze in boots. My nearest one only have a hatch open for people to queue. So I decided not to hang around.
My sister says surgical gauze is not dense enough. I may have to cut my gauze tea towel.... ::)

gunwharfman

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Re: Are you making your own face masks or anything else?
« Reply #3 on: 11:33:42, 30/03/20 »
I accept all that but having a face mask, whether or not it works, helps personal morale I think. In my communication over Skype and the like one person I know is trying to preserve the life of his mask by folding a tissue into it, he then takes the tissue out and disposes of it. I like the orient idea of wearing face masks, coughing into one's sleeve, yuk! Having the experience of watching people down the pub over a number of years I can't believe that basic Brit habits of coughing into the air, burping into the air and yawning into the air have changed much, if at all?

Also, the world has changed in all sorts of subtle ways I think, it also seems to be 'Brit hip' to be seen in a niqab type face mask or perhaps a cowboy face mask (another form of niqab to me) which I've seen a couple of times along our sea front.

Jimmy Durante, the USA comedian springs to mind about the others in the pub, "A wipe of the cuff is enough!" Again yuk!

I also wonder if those people that go to the loo in the pub or motorway service area and never wash their hands are doing it now???

Percy

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Re: Are you making your own face masks or anything else?
« Reply #4 on: 11:44:33, 30/03/20 »
I’ll tell you what people do appear to be making: bread and cakes.


Flour is the product most consistently stripped from the shelves in the supermarkets round here.

taxino8

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Re: Are you making your own face masks or anything else?
« Reply #5 on: 11:47:01, 30/03/20 »
Fortunately for me I found a box of 10 in my shed while I was killing time cleaning it out.
I’ve put one in my car just in case but not been anywhere to use it.

gunwharfman

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Re: Are you making your own face masks or anything else?
« Reply #6 on: 11:48:01, 30/03/20 »
If I make a face mask or a niqab (sorry, I meant when my wife makes it for me, I'm confident she will insist!) mine is going to be a silnylon one (it can be washed) and I'll adapt it as necessary. In the lifestyle I lead at the moment I think it might become useful when I go to my local Tesco Express, I would only need it for a few minutes.  ::)

Maybe I'm a bit like Mountaingal, I find it difficult to trust Government with wishy-washy Govey words, (I've spent a lifetime getting excuses and bull from people) are they telling us that masks are useless because they 'forgot' or 'failed' to order any? Of course, they 'forgot/failed' that's what Governments are best at!

Percy

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Re: Are you making your own face masks or anything else?
« Reply #7 on: 12:05:01, 30/03/20 »

The prevalent wearing of masks in the orient is actually more of a cultural thing.
And was as much about particulate pollution as infectious diseases prior to the last few months.

gunwharfman

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Re: Are you making your own face masks or anything else?
« Reply #8 on: 12:14:55, 30/03/20 »
Sorry my sentence should have read -

'I find it difficult to trust Government with their wishy-washy Govey words, (I've spent a lifetime getting excuses and bull from people) are they telling us that masks are useless because they 'forgot, 'failed' or 'didn't think it through' to order any? Of course, they 'forgot/failed and didn't think it through' that's what all Governments are best at!

And now in a real-time of need we in the UK have 'Universal Credit' another idea that was never thought through and I suspect done with malice in mind as well! It's OK, I know I'm biased, I just want a platform to thank Mr. Ian Duncan Smith for his humanity while I can!

sparnel

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Re: Are you making your own face masks or anything else?
« Reply #9 on: 12:18:01, 30/03/20 »
Could one - or two - be made out of a bra?

strawy

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Re: Are you making your own face masks or anything else?
« Reply #10 on: 12:27:45, 30/03/20 »
Could one - or two - be made out of a bra?


You could only use the left cup,otherwise you,d look like a right t*t  O0

ninthace

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Re: Are you making your own face masks or anything else?
« Reply #11 on: 12:29:39, 30/03/20 »
I don't suppose this will help?
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public/when-and-how-to-use-masks
Or will you ignore it because it is the "establishment"
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gunwharfman

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Re: Are you making your own face masks or anything else?
« Reply #12 on: 12:35:38, 30/03/20 »
It does, yes but in my case, I would only consider putting it on when I know I'm going to be face to face with someone, at Tesco Express, for example, I wouldn't bother to wear such a thing if I was to have a stroll along the seafront or when I'm in some other open space.

I think everything, in the end, will depend on if people actually believe that social distancing actually works and the virus does not blow around in the wind. The jury is out on that one for the moment I think.

archaeoroutes

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Re: Are you making your own face masks or anything else?
« Reply #13 on: 12:45:33, 30/03/20 »
You could only use the left cup,otherwise you,d look like a right t*t  O0
;D
Walking routes visiting ancient sites in Britain's uplands: http://www.archaeoroutes.co.uk

ninthace

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Re: Are you making your own face masks or anything else?
« Reply #14 on: 12:58:12, 30/03/20 »
I realise that we are discussing improvising masks but if more people are seen out in them it will encourage others to try to source masks when they do not really need them causing stress and anxiety if they cannot get them and depleting much needed stocks if they do get them, for no great benefit.
Apart from the WHO advice, you might want to look up the current thinking on viral load.  Layman's version here: https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-what-is-viral-load-and-why-does-it-matter-for-covid-19-11963393
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