On Wed, 24 Mar 2010 18:44:18 -0400, "solarwind"> said:

> Thanks, I'll buy that one then. How long do they typically last in the
> fridge? Also, is it reasonable to apply evenly across the surface
> mount pads on the PCB (so that the paste bridges the pads) and simply
> heat it with a hot air gun? Will the paste "unbridge" itself or will
> it melt and stay bridged?

Paste that has been around for a few years will still work fine for
hobby use. In a professional situation where you are using a stencil,
the consistency is way more important and you need fresh paste. In that
case you would also probably be buying name-brand paste.

For IC's, rather than applying paste to the board, apply it to the part.
Put some paste on a mirror and spead it with a credit card until you get
a thin film of it, then scrape the legs of one side of the IC on that
film until you get enough paste on the legs, then repeat for the other
legs. You can tolerate a small amount of paste bridging the leads,
unless you use way too much solder you won't get hard shorts but you
will get stray balls of solder all over the place.

Cheerful regards,

Bob


-- 
http://www.fastmail.fm - Access your email from home and the web

-- 
http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive
View/change your membership options at
http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist