A Good DIY Solder Stencil Begins With a Cleanly-Sliced Soda Can

What happened

A Good DIY Solder Stencil Begins With a Cleanly-Sliced Soda Can, according to Hackaday. Solder stencils are a fantastic way to accurately apply solder paste to a PCB. Professionally-made stencils are cut from steel, but for the home hacker, soda cans continue to be the alternative of choice.

The only trick is how to actually get those little holes made, and [Saheen Palayi] shows off both his method of laser-engraving the holes, as well as a tool for cutting the can in the first place. A good result starts with cutting a can cleanly, thanks to a 3D-printed tool.

To turn a soda can into a flat-ish aluminum sheet means cutting off the ends and slicing it open. Ideally, one achieves this without kinking or bending the thin metal.