Harold, the cool kids call that a "Coughee filter."
Wait no, dads. Dads call it that.
Vacuum bags are supposed to be as good as N95 filters, but I have not figured out how to make a mask out of them. They are pretty restrictive! I sacrificed one that Mom had. The first thing is that you need to cut along the seam because it will not fold right. I folded it like a car filter, but then it doesn't bend, so what good is it?
Someone posted on Imgur a couple of weeks ago that her husband 3d printed face masks using air conditioner filters, rubber bands, and rubber seals. At least ninety percent of the comments were negative. Supposedly the filter would be adequate, but it wasn't the right style, so people insisted that it was worthless, or somehow worse. The rubber seal had a gap, so viruses would target that and kill the wearer. 3d-printed products weren't airtight. Etc.
I cannot find it now. It shows the different parts and then the weirdo put it on and made a stupid face.
If you made a mask like that and made an air filter using pleated vacuum bags and silicone it should work.
This orthodontist is 3d-printing masks. Undoubtedly this is vastly higher quality than most DIYers could make, but the seal has more gaps!
https://kesq.com/news/2020/04/01/pal...re-workers/#//
These were requested by a hospital, take 3.5 hours to print, and don't have seals:
https://www.kgw.com/article/entertai...-69f7-48cf-9ec
This guy 3d prints on cloth:
This guy reviewed 3d-printed masks, but seems to be wearing one. I am unsure how helpful this video is:
Oh great. YouTube is not linking right again.
https://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/2...ing-masks.html
These are custom-made:
https://www.canadianarchitect.com/to...ted-face-mask/
"[P]rimarily acts as a mechanical barrier:"
https://engineering.rowan.edu/resear...ask/index.html
No face seal, but the zip tie probably secures the filter better than other methods:
https://patch.com/new-york/brentwood...sks-3d-printer
I found tons more, far more than when I looked into this a week or two ago.
There must be a solution!