Any DIYers here making masks?

[Katia]

The issue with elastic is that it pulls in a straight line and with a mask we are trying to get the cloth to take a shape. I've used four wire types, all about 6" in length with the ends bent back and crimped:
electrical - being copper and coated, the individual wire is less likely to oxidize with washing, but its too thick
pipe cleaner - very comfortable, but will it rust?
jewelry wire - shapes light cotton nicely, but very thin and a bit of a job to fix it in place
aluminum craft wire - not thin, but extremely pliable. holding shape and comfortable... longevity?

Yes, this was my worry with the elastic as well. However, as I said, I had at least one instance in which the wire left a mark on my nose-- which turned out to actually be a scrape, which explains why it remained for more than a week. Mind you, my wire is a florist's type that is covered in soft plastic and this still happened. Wire also makes my nose run more while I'm wearing the mask (I think the pressure irritates it; the elastic only putting pressure across the top made it not so bad). Hence why I was hoping elastic might be a better alternative.