Thread by @LarryDixonTGK

My next books will be late.

I am devoting time to designing & fabricating new PPE & #3Dprinting medical devices.

If you can do #cosplay, #props, etc., please make masks, PPE gowns, face shields & esp. PAPR.

PAPR can be fabbed w/PC fans, phone rechargers & shower caps.

Look up "homemade papr" & there are many videos. Also check .stl sites for masks.

Please focus reusability & comfort. Bad PPE can mangle a caregiver's face, making them open to infections.

Just as valuable, make QoL things for them, too. Get kids to make them thank-you notes.

Nextly, as the hertasi say, "Style Always Counts." The saying is b/c if something is designed & made well, it can be inherently pleasing.

Add bits of trim that say "I Care" or "I'm Here To Help." If you want #gamers to wear your masks, make'm nerdy.

It's a fact: Wearing masks makes us all look dorky. So use your fashion sense.

Also, "Window Masks" w/clear panels are especially great, both for social reasons & for those who need lip-reading.

This is a game of odds. Maybe what you make won't work 100%, but it'll help.

Just do your best. Use "shoe goo" type adhesives (or silicone) to seal seams. For face shields, please use designs that protect the whole forehead too, past the hairline.

If you have a #TTRPG group, make PPE pieces & everyone can assemble them during your games.

If you're a miniatures painter, decorate'm a bit. Get your groove on! Make ear loop relief hooks & embellish'em.

Make tiny stuffed animals w/loops sewn in for kids to hold, & headbands to make PPE more comfortable. You can do this. You're #fans, you're #gamers. Save lives.

It's amazing how much can be salvaged from what you already have. Con t-shirts? Good for masks. Sweats? Use'm for loop strips & sweat absorbers. Old jackets, same. Use sleeve cuffs for gathers. Blown-out shoes? Use the eyelets. Get padding from upholstery. Repurpose & make.

Stuff you've outgrown can have a new life this way. Whatever you have that's no good for donation to shelters is raw material for PPE.

Also, often sheets are cheaper per sq.yd. than fresh material.

Just ensure that what y'all make is sturdy, washable, safe, & reusable.

Even if you're bedridden, or overworked, or already sick, even telling people they CAN do something changes things for the better.

So get your fan groups to take action. Get the Whovians to tell the 501st, get the Trekkers to tell the Stargaters, & so on.

Tell the SCA that PPE is Period Correct.

Get HEMA to donate their many, many bandages. Unused, if there are any left.

And, if you have access & skill, make parts for others; no one has to assemble entire PPE themselves. If you can make chainmail, you can make hook fasteners.

Organize & share pics of what you're doing. Heck, gamify it if you want! @habitica might help w/that.

We fear Ineffectiveness; a pandemic is just too huge to comprehend, & we feel small. But.

There are footprints on the Moon b/c of a million individual efforts.

You got this.

Share tips & URLs in the comments & replies here.

Coordinate w/each other. Companies, get involved & devote budget to materials. Con chairs, use your volunteers lists & ask.
Pros, energize your fans!

GMs, give bonus XP for PPE. :)

Go forth & be mighty!

(please feel welcome to c&p this thread to wherever you think it will generate hope & help)