The original mask hooks or 'ear savers' as I've been calling them are easy to print with a 3D printer including the Silhouette Alta. But if you don't have an Alta or the new Alta Plus we now have a free cuttable version of the ear saver....and I'm including the best Silhouette Cut Settings.
Start by downloading the free cuttable Ear Saver Design. I am giving you two sizes. The longer size is ideal to be worn above a ponytail or bun.
The shorter size is for wearing closer around the neck.
Open the design into a work area and duplicate if you want to cut multiples.
The struggle with cutting the mask hooks is you need a materials that's flexible, sturdy enough to hold up to being pulled on my elastic, and cuttable with any Silhouette machine or blade.
Two option that have been popular with crafters is plastic place
mats and plastic folders. People keep telling me to go to the dollar store and get plastic place
mats..I've been home for 5 weeks, I'm not going anywhere right now. But I
did find plastic folders on Amazon and they delivered in just one day.
I spent then spent several hours determining the best design and Silhouette cut settings for cutting the folders with Silhouette CAMEO and Portrait.
The
nice thing about cutting the design in plastic is the process is faster
than both 3D printing and using shrink sheets. You can also cut a large
number in bulk getting a bunch on a single sheet making the price far
more affordable. Finally, the plastic is thin enough to be cut and
pliable to easily bend around the shape of the head. But it's thick
enough to stand up to the pulling from the elastic.
I spent then spent several hours determining the best design and Silhouette cut settings for cutting the folders with Silhouette CAMEO and Portrait.
Use scissors to cut the folders in half then remove the pocket from each half. You now have two cuttable sheets. Place the plastic sheet on a very sticky cutting mat.
In the Send panel change the cut settings to a Blade of 10, Speed of 5, Force 33, and 7 passes. Yes, 7.
After the cut is complete, you may need to use a tool to pop out the design.
If you're interested in making DIY Fabric masks or 3D printing mask hooks be sure to check out these tutorials and free designs as well.
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I'm trying to add the design for the ear saver to my cart and it doesn't add. Is there another way to get the design so I can start making these? Thank you!
ReplyDeletethank you for the fantastic idea! Hubby was complaining about his ears, so I made him one this morning, using stencil material. I cut four and glued them together with E6000. it worked beautifully. Sturdy yet flexible.
ReplyDeleteStencil material?
DeleteI must have some thick folders because I have it set to do 10 passes a and send it through several times and it still isn't cutting through. It's not cutting enough to even pop the thing out. It's a brand new blade as well.
ReplyDelete