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I use both, and I think each has its place. I think paste is fabulous for little fiddly things, but I'm happy with pallions for more conventional stuff - either placed directly or picked.
I don't find the paste that expensive though. I buy smaller syringes than Cookson have (wish they did them too), and they last a long time. It does take a bit of practice to use the very tiny amount you actually need though!
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I didn't say it was 'expensive'. Just that when you've lived a year with no income for over 3 of the months (he lost his job without even being paid for the month he'd just worked), cloth has to be cut accordingly - and it's now really caught up with us. And over 20 quid to buy another form of something I already have that works perfectly well, like the borax in a different format we discussed the other day, is just a luxury beyond the budget at present.
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The difference between solder paste, and using pallions, is really just your own prefference. Probably technicaly best, is to use pallions, and, in antiquity solder itself was just the actual metal alloy but banged so thin, it hopefully melted just before the item did!
Like having a good bench, and an inspiring work atmosphere, most important is what your confident with.
As an apprentice, it took all day just to learn how to cut a pallion, and was perfected, with the pallions getting smaller, over many months of doing.
They will blow off the item as you get the flame near...the secret is, (if you are using a constant temp torch rather than mouth blown) to approach the work really slowly, and use the distance between torch and work to controll the temperature, and just slightly back off its its too hot too quick. You should be able to get the flux to 'warm' and just buble up, slowly and controlled, so it then holds the pallion when the flux glazes, then you can give more heat to melt it into the join.