Welcome to the Tutorials Section!~

I've been making some things for either wearing/adding to your masks or things that will make the care for them easier. Below I will show you just how I made the things I've created so far.

Mask Stand:

If you're wondering how to keep your mask out and in view at all times, instead of keeping it in the box it arrived in I have a solution for you. All of these items were obtained from Lowe's.



Materials for one stand:

1 · 3 liter soda bottle (You can use other bottle types, this is just what I used because it is large and symmetrical)
1 · Piece of wide heavy flat board. You can go cheap or expensive here, depending on your taste or desired look.
1 · 1/2" Galvanized Floor Flange, Brand:Mueller (Item#22440 Model#61003)
1 · 1/2" Pipe to whatever length you want. For my floor stands, I use a plastic pipe at roughly 3ft long. If you want a stronger stand, you can use metal. Remember, the shorter the length the stronger it will be. You can use a shorter length of pipe if you plan to make a stand for atop a desk or table. Or if you want, keep two pipes and switch them out for your needs.
4 · Bolts with matching Nuts (I don't have a size for these, but the item numbers at Lowe's are 63301 & 61821)
1 · Measuring tape or yard stick
1 · Pencil with eraser
1 · Drill with drill bits
1 · Glue
1 · 20oz/2 liter cap



Instructions:

What I did was I had the board I selected cut in the Lowe's store for free into a few sections. They did it rather haphazardly and if I had the tools myself I would have preferred to do it with more care. I bought a nice oak board that was pretty much butchered. But if they mess it up, I'm sure you can talk to them about it. If you want to be real safe with your mask, getting a heavy board is best and the wider your base the more stability it will have. But nothing is perfect, if hit just right any stand will topple over, so be careful and keep it where you won't bump into it. Because of this, there's no set size for how big the base will be, it's up to you.

To find the middle of the board just use a pencil and find the center of each side, connect the marks on all four sides to create a very light plus symbol. Where those two lines intersect is where you will position the flange. I used the lines to line up the bolt holes of the flange and traced where I should drill with the pencil by going around the inside of the holes. After I drill the holes I erase the excess lines so they won't show.

Secure the flange to the board using the bolts and nuts. Alternatively, you can use screws but I decided not to use these because of there was any stress on the stand it might translate down to the flange, and pull the screws out so bolts are more secure. You can inset the heads of the bolts by drilling just enough of a larger hole so they're flush with the board. An alternative to this is what I did, and I added non slip feet to the bottom of the stand. You can get these in the furniture section of Lowe's, I had to ask to find where they were. They're basically replacement tips for furniture such as lamps, sofas, chairs, etc. After this you can just screw the pipe into the flange and that part is done.

This next part was very tricky for me to figure out. A few plastic bottles ended up in the recycling after I butchered them. With the 3 liter bottle you need to make a 1/2" hole in it just big enough for the pipe to pass through. That's easy enough really, you could get a drill bit for just that, or you can CAREFULLY cut it using some other tool. I just cut it out for my demo models, but later I'll just buy the special drill bit to make it easier. Once you have the hole, if you place it on the stand you'll notice it slips around like crazy and the top is not secure. How I fixed that was I took the cap from either a 20oz or 2 liter bottle and put some good glue on the top, sat the pole inside the cap, and slowly worked it through the opening in the 3 liter bottle. If you do it too quick the cap will fly off and might stick to something else inside the bottle. So be easy, and once it's inside just take it straight up to the center of the bottle. Leave that on the stand for a bit to let the glue set. Of course all of this is with out the 3 liter bottle's cap on.

Photos: