wrote in message ...
2. Solder paste doesn't keep (seems to have about the same time
constant
as Horowitz & Hill's wet fish)

Solder paste must be kept refrigerated to maximize its shelf life. (read
the
manufacturer's storage and handling instructions CAREFULLY, both for
proper
storage for product longevity and for safety reasons)

I sure hope "solder paste" is NOT the same thing as "soldering paste
flux",
or else my shoe-polish-size can of "Kester Soldering Paste Flux" (with a
hole in the lid through which I occasionally poke a soldering pencil)
that's been sitting on my workbench for at least the last 25 years hasn't
heard about those storage and handling instructions!

--Myron.

No, Myron ... solder paste is a suspension of micro-spheres of solder in a
flux that makes a paste that is used for reflow soldering of SMT parts.

Carl - wk3c