Face mask filter material we buy and an acrylic template (UPDATED)

These are the type of filters we are using in our cloth face masks for my family. The company, Filti manufactures home filters; during this pandemic they changed their main focus to printing face filter material. Read the spec sheet on it to answer many questions.

July 3-6, 2020 they are offering free shipping. The material is manufactured in USA. The company is located in Lenexa, KS but their production line is in another location (still USA). Be sure to check out their youtube tutorials.

I really like this filter material. I put them inside my cloth masks.

They have tutorials on how to make a mask with their kit which is a no sew ā€“ which is pre-cut filter, elastic, and a nose bridge. You will also need scotch tape, and a stapler (with staples). I followed the video when a son dropped by that needed a face mask right away for a haircut. I made him 2 in 5 minutes. Not how I would normally do it, but it was good for a pinch.

I have a self healing mask, a rotary cutter and I cut a ā€œtemplateā€ out of acrylic for the filter. I can cut a couple at a time easily (maybe more depending on how hard you push down when you cut). I was able to cut quite a few in a short time and fill a ziplock so family can pull from the bag and put in their freshly laundered cloth masks.

About the template: I used 1/8" (proofgrade) acrylic because there needs to be room for the wheel on the rotary cutter to press up against the template. I used a pattern by SewCANShe.com that was freely given out for non commercial use.

I scored on the TOP of the template so it wouldnā€™t give a ā€˜dragā€™ to moving the template across the fabric. I included the website I got the template from, the suggested ā€œdartsā€ (I probably should have put a small circle at the top so I could mark the darts.)

The larger circle in one end is like all the other acrylic templates I have made for my masks ā€” it is a circle cut out in approximately the same location on ALL my mask templates so I can hang it on the wall on a nail.

TO SAVE THE TEMPLATE: look for the line drawing below, and using the Chrome browser: right click on the drawing, SAVE IMAGE AS and give it a descriptive name and notice that it will save as an SVG. This means you can send it as is to the Glowforge. Score all the words, and the darts, and cut everything else.
face mask filter template 01

I plan on cutting a rectangle template for masks my mother-in-law made us this weekend. Iā€™ll probably just use my quilting strips the width I need and length and use the one I cut as the " length" as that will make it faster.

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Thank you! I have a design that can also be done in Celastic but had not found a good filter material to use with it. This is perfect and I ordered a roll of it.

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Guess I should share a little more often. I thought I had shared the filter material a little while back ā€“ but couldnā€™t find it. You made my day that I was able to help someone. :star_struck:

Husband just placed our 3rd order (first two were smallest quantity and I gave some away) since it doesnā€™t seem like this virus will be leaving our country any time soon. Going to 3D print a face mask for a cousin going off to college as his mom doesnā€™t think he will wash his masks daily ā€” so hopefully that mask and replaceable small filters already cut to size will encourage it. They have already been told that their college is going to require masks. Think I will see if the Silhouette cutters will be able to handle it and cut them until he shows up tomorrow ā€” that way I can get my spice jars cut by tomorrow night ---- been waiting a long time to get them done.

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Here is what else I have been up to ā€” a good friend from high school has been making scrub hats and masks for her work (they work with cases of elderly abuse) and for her daughterā€™s (nurse) co-workers. She said she had been making them for a couple of months and figured the way this virus seems to be getting worse that she would probably be making them well into the Fall.

I offered to make her templates to make cutting out all these items by hand so much easier with a rotary cutter. I had to take a PDF with a template that was divided into 4 pieces and put them together and turn them into one SVG that I could cut into a one piece acrylic template. She now can cut masks, filters, and scrub hats so much quicker with a rotary cutter. I was so tickled by how happy she was when she received them.

@dan I used the pass through for one of those templates (yes it was that long!) I also owe you a explanation of the longest (and most useful to us) items we have cut ā€” but husband did it and I need to sit down with him and write this whole thing upā€¦ becauseā€” questions. :wink: I was sewing masks and he was figuring out the pass through on our first project with the feature.

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UPDATE ā€” this is what is new:

I use the Olfa Splash rotary cutter and their Zig Zag blade (made for fabric) with an acrylic template and a self-healing mat. This allows more than one layer of fabric to be cut at one time (depending on thickness & how much pressure you use) and you donā€™t have to worry about the fabric fraying (a real pet peeve of mine). I had one lining fabric that I swear would ravel if you just looked at it much less picked it up.


I use the metal nose guards that came from this site: https://diymaskusa.com/ you can whipstitch them on top of a mask that is already finished, or I make a small ā€œcasingā€ either out of double wide bias tape or just cut some out of my lining and stitch it into the top seam. When I turn it inside out then I pin and stitch the bottom of the seam.
NOTE: this may make your lining a bit longer so you may need to use your zig zag cutter and make it a little shorter.

I then follow up with a whipstitch through the holes just to make sure it stays completely put and wonā€™t hopefully rub too much on the casing fabric. Yeah I tend to overdo maybe but I donā€™t want to make more masks than I have to. see the fabric with the blue lining to see how I am making just a small casing to hold the nose formsā€¦but feel free to just whip stitch in place. (Do not get anything from the links it is just where I bought it from)

The nose forms are from a veteran owned business here in the USA: metal nose forms and I received them quickly. They have two styles.

The rotary cutter is the OLFA Splash:
OLFA Splash

OLFA Rotary pinking spare blade 45mm
pinking spare blade 45mm

Filter mask material made in the USA
https://filti.com/

Let me know if you have any questions. This is really saving me some time and I believe that the masks will last longer having the zig zag edges and we really like the nose forms.

The Filti mask material we just bought a large amount and this is how I have stored it (wrapped around plastic wrapped cardboard and put in a tub). They come in really long strips.

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Extremely awesome.

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Well thank you! I found ONE disadvantage to my templatesā€¦I LOST oneā€¦itā€™s clear so falling between things Iā€™m not seeing itā€¦but advantage of the Glowforgeā€¦I can just print another one quick as a slow-very slow wink of an eye. :wink:

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