Mmmm... if you mean a solder paste stencil, I've never used one. Yet...

For the small runs of boards I do, I apply paste by hand with a pointy tool under a magnifying lens. It took me less than 10 minutes to apply solder paste to all the pads on that board. (that includes going to the fridge and back for another beer). I'm hoping to be doing some larger runs of boards soon, so paste masks will become a necessity for me sooner or later (I hope).

I'd love to hear folks experiences with getting stencils made (cheaply)...


steve