HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. — If you try to find a mask anywhere online, it can take weeks to get, or the mask you may have wanted is sold out.

Hospitals are facing the same shortages of personal protective equipment as its employees continue working to save lives. But people are stepping up to help out, including a man in Huntington Beach who is making face shields from his home for doctors, nurses, and other health care workers.

David Gins happens to own a 3D printer, a purchase a few years back to start a sort of side-business/hobby with his mom to make plastic jewelry.

“Mom lost interest within a week and half of buying it," he laughed. "I had this 3D printer that was not very cheap, so I wanted to make use of it.”

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The civil engineer has used his 3D printer a lot. He has made broken car parts, a coffee cup holder, and a fly-fishing tool called Salty Comb, sold on Esty.

Gins says making and printing 3D stuff is more a hobby, but making 3D face shields for health care workers on the front lines of this pandemic is something he had to do.

“When you see all these doctors and stuff helping people, and when they go home, they sleep in the garage, or something like that. I mean, the least I can do is spend a little extra hours of my free time," Gins said.

The first step of the process to make face shields takes two hours for each head piece. It’s time Gins says he doesn’t mind dedicating to making these.

“What’s 20 hours if it can actually help these people actually risking their lives out there?" he said.

He downloaded a program to make a part from Airwolf 3D, an Orange County-based company that released this how-to-video. Gins had to do some engineering to make the model work with his printer.

Then he got busy. He printed 13 parts for the face shields over a recent weekend. It was a 26-hour process. He ordered some transparency sheets and some gold elastic bands (the only color he said he could find online available quickly). Then he started to assemble.

The original design had called for a 16-inch strap. When it was too big for his head, he added a second little cut, making his face shields adjustable. It's a personal touch for a personal life-long mission.

“My parents always taught me to give back, you know neighbors, friends, anyone that’s in need that you see – fellow man," Gins said.

There was a snag in his plan when the 3D printer gave out after the first round of printing, but he says he was able to get it fixed.

Gins expects to pick up his repaired printer and plan another weekend of printing.  

He said he’s happy to help fellow man in any way he can. Gins also often volunteers for surf therapy programs in Southern California, and other charitable organizations.