[TheForge] Another stupid mask idea -- no metal content

[Bruce .]

Yeah, I'm still sounding off against you guys.  Social isolation sucks.
I'm only about 50% introverted.

It's pretty obvious that those of us with beards are pretty much out of
luck if we want a face mask to seal tightly to our faces.  Myself, I'm
mainly concerned with droplets sneezed or coughed in my direction, so for
now I'm not taking any added measures to preclude inhaling bare virus
particles.

I'm aware that some advocate using petroleum jelly on their beard to aid a
mask seal, but others testify that that is ineffective.  So I was just
wondering what *might* be effective.  Here's my thought process:

Suppose you were to take a caulking gun and apply a non-setting "caulk" to
where the mask would seat on your face.  The "caulk" would envelop the
hairs down to the skin, and the mask would sit on the caulk.  Voila', a
seal.

What then to use as caulk?  I'm thinking something that *does not set
hard.  *Glazier's putty or plumber's putty might work, but I wouldn't want
to be the guinea pig for prolonged skin exposure to those.  Silly Putty
seemed attractive, as I know from my childhood that it easily peels from
the skin and hair.

Then I remembered my mustache wax.  I use a homemade mustache wax composed
of beeswax, lanolin and petroleum jelly.  I use this almost daily on my
mustache to hold it (largely) off my lip and to make it hydrophobic.  I've
already tested skin contact for
*years.  *

It can be messy, but it does melt under the heat of a hair dryer, and
excess can be absorbed from the mustache (or beard) with paper towels.  I
apply it thinly as mustache wax, but it could be applied as a "caulk bead"
fairly easily.

I don't plan to test this out soon, but might do so if motivated by
circumstances.

Thoughts?  Comments?

Bruce
NJ