No Sewing Face Mask With a 3D Pen

I show you how to make your own cloth face mask using a 3D printing pen and no sewing at all. The mask I show how to make is sturdy, comfortable, reusable and easy to adjust.

Common household items can be used to construct parts of the mask. But you will need a 3D Pen and some *flexible filament* to complete this project.

Free Template for making the Face Mask (also attached to Step 1)-

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fRplUZvZyo-7keRtx...

The video is a tutorial that narrates the whole process and shows a lot of tips that cannot be captured in this Instructable. I recommend watching the video if you are going make one of these.

Video Tutorial-

https://youtu.be/KVEHZSD28pg

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Center for Disease Control (CDC) Face Mask webpage with helpful info-

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent...

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**The tools shown in this tutorial can be very dangerous, so be careful and use caution when dealing with anything from this tutorial.

In addition, the masks shown in this video are for personal use only and at your own risk.**

• Fabric of your choice (e.g. tightly woven cotton)
• 3D Pen that can handle flexible filament
• Flexible filament (also called TPU filament)
• Scissors
• Tape
• Something to make straps from (elastic banding material, rubber bands, twine, strips of fabric reinforced with flexible filament)
• Something to punch holes in the mask and straps (hole punch, sharp object + pencil to enlarge hole)
• Optional = wax paper (for making Strap Tensioners)

First, print out the free template that can be found attached or at the link in the Introduction. Make sure you do the following:

• Print using the “Actual Size” setting

Then cut out and tape the “Mask Outline” to the fabric of your choice. What fabric should you use? I am seeing tightly woven cotton being recommended the most.

Trim the hatched areas at the corners of the paper template.

The newly cut edges of the fabric will fray and unravel easily. So if we fold all 4 sides over and secure them with flexible filament, the mask will be much more durable.

Be sure to:

• Use tape to secure the folded over edges.
• Do the shorter sides first, followed by the the long sides
• Have a healthy overlap of filament on BOTH sides of the folded edge

There are lots of different options for what you can use as straps. Some common household items that will work are rubber bands, twine or thin rope, and strips of fabric reinforced with flexible filament.

I used some black elastic band material that worked quite nicely, but is not a common household item.

The top strap was cut out to be 18” long and the bottom strap was 16” long.

We now need to make 4x holes in the mask and a hole at each end of both straps.

You can use either an adjustable hole punch or plier style hole punch. If you don’t have those, try carefully using a sharp object to get a small hole started and then use a pencil to enlarge the hole.

If you are not using elastic band material, try reinforcing the holes on the mask with flexible filament like shown below. This makes threading a strap through it easier and more durable

• To attach an elastic band, line up a hole on one end of a strap with a hole on the mask.
• Use the 3D Pen to fill both holes with a plug of flexible filament. Really press the pen in to do this!
• Push down on it with your thumb as it cools to compress it in.
• Once that is done, cover over the plug with another patch of filament.
• Flip the mask over and repeat the above process.
• Do the same for the other 3x strap connection points.

• Add some wax paper over the “Strap Tensioners” on the paper template. The wax paper helps the flexible filament release easier.
• 3D pen over the template, leaving the slot in the center open.
• Remove this first layer from the wax paper before it cools too much.
• Then add a second layer on top of the first.
• Repeat this process for the second Strap Tensioner.

Finally install a Strap Tensioner on each strap by pulling a loop of the elastic band through the slot in the tensioner. Pulling on this loop from either side of the tensioner allows you to easily tighten or loosen the mask around your face.

Congratulations, you now have a finished cloth face mask!