Archive of the former Yahoo!Groups mailing list: Homebrew PCBs

ok, so I've read everything I can on smt soldering, got my Radio
Shack desoldering system to convert to a hot air pencil, bought the
Kester solder paste syringe....

A few basic questions.

People say to buy the "good quality" desoldering braid. What
brands/model have people used with good success? I went
to "soldersonline.com" and they have a plethora or braids to choose
from. Three brands - Plato, Wick, Tech Spray. The've got fluxed, no-
flux, no-clean, anti-static and different colors and gauge. What to
get for general use??

I already bought my Kester Solder paste syringe, but DigiKey doesn't
sell the needles. What spec should I get in a needle? DigiKey does
sell an .050" needle used for flux dispensers. Can I use this with
the Kester syringe? I'm guessing that there are just a few standard
syringe tip size and a bunch of needle sizes.

Also, why is the Kester Solder Paste so much ($42) while the other
brands of "no clean" solder paste at "soldersonline.com" is $10. are
these pastes acceptable for this use or is there some reason why
they're no good?

About flux. Water soluable flux pen? or just a vat of flux that I
brush on? Or a syringe? Pen and vats are cheap. Syringe is expensive.

Any suggestions on these items would be greatly appreciated.
Specifics will be especially useful.

Thanks,
Ted