On Thu, 26 Mar 2009 19:19:24 -0400, "solarwind" said: > Also, since solder paste is expensive and doesn't keep well, (how long > does it keep anyway? in the fridge, that is) I've never had a problem with small containers of it going bad. The stuff I use is pre-fluxed, I could imagine it separating if it was a big container. A little one ounce container will last you a long, long time. By the way, a syringe doesn't work on really tiny pads, too much solder gets applied. The smallest pitch I've done by hand is .5 mm, and what I do is spread a very thin coating of solder paste on a mirror, then scrape(like raking leaves, not shoveling) your chip or connector on it to transfer a little onto the pins. Then rotate the part for the next row of pins, and carefully put the part on the board. Cheers, Bob -- http://www.fastmail.fm - Email service worth paying for. Try it for free -- http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist