Sew-in mask filter housing by cdrums55

Last crawled date: 3 years, 3 months ago

I'm a bit late to the mask accessories party, but I recently thought that the cotton round makeup applicators/removers widely available might make for great dust/particulate filters that are cheap and easily replaceable. Looking online I saw that some others also had this idea and their own designs, but I didn't find a "universal" design that could be added to any mask or pattern, so I decided to roll my own with several customization options. I hope that you like it and that it works for your application.
There are 3 ways that this filter can be used:
Option 1 is print the low-profile housing and roll with that.
Option 2 is print the tall filter mask mount and stick with those options
Option 3 is print the low-profile housing, and then also print one of the 2 tall filter adapters to choose which option or look you prefer
If you're going low-profile, then the parts you will need to print up (and order of assembly) are:
A) Low-profile filter mount
B) Filter screen for the inside
--- Cotton round (or other filter material) here
C) Filter screen for the outside
D) Filter lock ring
If you want the low-profile & adapter option, you will need to print up:
A) Low-profile filter mount
B) Tall filter adapter
C) Desired connector length/height
D) Tall filter main body
E) Filter screen for the inside
--- Cotton round (or other filter material) here
F) Filter screen for the outside
G) Filter lock ring
For the tall filter only option, you will need:
A) Tall filter mask mount
B) Desired connector length/height
C) Tall filter main body
D) Filter screen for the inside
--- Cotton round (or other filter material) here
E) Filter screen for the outside
F) Filter lock ring
I have also provided a template for both of the mounts which show where the needle holes are positioned and the size of the center hole that needs to be cut out of whatever material you be using for the mask itself.
The only post-processing that should need to be done is to drill out the needle holes. I used a 1/16" drill bit, but this was a little tight for the 0.8mm waxed thread I used on my mask.
Note: if the tall filter connector threads are a bit tight/loose, then I would suggest re-printing only the chosen connector with the X and Y axes scaled down/up a slight bit (0.1% or less. It shouldn't take much). Printing just the connector would be quicker/cheaper/easier than re-printing the mask mount/adapter and housing as well, especially since scaling the adapter/housing will also affect the threads for the lock ring and fitment of the screens themselves.
Note #2: I give no assurances that this will or will not help again Covid-19. If you want to use this as your primary mask then that is on you. I am not a doctor (not even in the heathcare industry), so I cannot guarantee any level of protection. However it should work just fine as a plain old dust mask for working with wood or metal, so long as the mask itself provides a good seal against your face.