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Covid face mask cutting die?

Hbjj

Cast Iron
Joined
Mar 18, 2013
Location
Washington st
I want/need to make a die to cut 9×6"fabric rectangles for face masks
Would a gasket punch shape work
For the cutting edge?
I plan on using my arbor press to punch as it would guide the punch a bit but I could use my little bottle jack press if needed
Any thoughts/experience with something like this
 
If you went to the garment district in LA you would find a lot of small shops using lasers to cut out fabric in multiple layers. If you were going to be commercial that would be the way to do it.

How many 9"x6" sheets are you planning on making?
 
If you went to the garment district in LA you would find a lot of small shops using lasers to cut out fabric in multiple layers. If you were going to be commercial that would be the way to do it.

How many 9"x6" sheets are you planning on making?

We personally have the stuff to make a few thousand

I pretty much answered my own question 20200320_105222.jpg
It took more pressure than I thought will have to use hydraulic press

My wife is a nurse administrator in a emergency department
Anything I can do to help keep her safe is worth doing
 
We personally have the stuff to make a few thousand

I pretty much answered my own question View attachment 282359
It took more pressure than I thought will have to use hydraulic press

My wife is a nurse administrator in a emergency department
Anything I can do to help keep her safe is worth doing

Looks like your punch is way to thick. i use to make sanding disk dies for a company out of .030 blue shim stock. cut your form on a piece of ply wood put your shim in the form. use a 60 deg angle for your cut edge. lay your fabric on a piece of rubber backed by a piece of ply wood.
 
Looks like your punch is way to thick. i use to make sanding disk dies for a company out of .030 blue shim stock. cut your form on a piece of ply wood put your shim in the form. use a 60 deg angle for your cut edge. lay your fabric on a piece of rubber backed by a piece of ply wood.

Thank you that's helpful
Did you fasten the shim to the plywood

I'm doing this at home and have limited materials available my plan was is to use 3/4 A36 plate and just mill it out
The only (shim stock) I have would be a old bandsaw blade
But in going to try the shim stock first

My wife's hospital will be out of surgical masks next Tuesday at current rates and they have enough n95s for the staff for a few days more...
There planning on a surge starting on Wednesday/Thursday
 
My family had a cut and sew business and we did alot of different types of cutting. Sharpened Band saw blade is a good idea. Mcmaster carr I belive has steel rule blade stock. Look online at bar plate. Steel rule die makers turn dies around in hours. If you are only cutting rectangles , then a heavy straight edge and rotary cutter will work and you could cut alot in a few hours. Other ways, An office paper cutter with a hold down bar. A band saw with a scalloped razor edge would allow you to cut a stack 6 inches high. These types of blades are available from mcmaster carr.
 
Success for a few punches 20200320_161522.jpg20200320_170543.jpg
I had to weld the blade to my frame and it is failing there it's a high carbon blade
So I'm back to milling out of plate
Before it broke I was punching 15 at a time in about 5 minutes
With the solid punch I think I can double that.
 
With a band saw, you can cut contours. The eastman table cutters used scalloped blades that reciprocated like a jig saw in a channel with a built in grinder. Maybe a jig saw with a super sharp knife edge would work.
 
Making fun of people who will smoke yet worry about everything else they breathe.

I hole punched my mask and used a Velcro patch back when we could get masks for work. I do not trust the vape stuff, like chemical vapors are bad for you- I have read msds sheets. The cigerettes also contain filters and a fire barrier for gooties.

I applaud the effort and thought, how does one tie the mask on? are they two layers or single? Would polypro/Tyvek make an ok second layer? I have free needle time on a brother embrodier which can be thought of as a cnc sewing machine with a brother controller if one is insecure about such things. Are you seaming the edges? What is the basic pattern?
If your shop was following safety we know n95 masks have been out of stock since February, Mine have been thru the washer enough that they are n2 at best now. Also the plasma smoke stains and rust look is not fashionable these days.
I do not know the level of mask, our hospitals are full already here and a shop down the street has lost 4 people in the past month that had the flu- but a drinking problem or the diabetes, not the gooties of course.

I am wearing my mask whenever anyone is around now, for my kin folk and because I am not a fan of the odds with Corona and Lyme.
 
I am confused I thought the medical profession was saying the masks only keep someone from spreading the disease, not contacting it. Did that narrative change?
 








 
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