I wouldn't advise using any source such as proto advantage or schmart boards unless you have money to burn. Instead go look at EBay and search for terms similar to "soic adapter." I have several bins full of these as the free shipping from China can take a few weeks.

Some of these vendors are positioning stock in the US so you can get deals like the following, 10 pieces for $3 shipping from N Carolina.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1-2-4-10-S...hash=item1a57a435b0:m:mqzHURQRLZ6EvRRbvWWUPVQ

This is just what I needed. Thanks very much!

 

Interesting info about the solder paste. We use it at work with stencils and a stencil machine and the guy who does the production tells me that it definitely doesn't work good when it gets old, for that use case anyway.

I'm not the most experienced guy here, but for small parts my favorite tip is a curved tip. Especially when you're working with small parts that are close to each other. With the curved tip you can get in there without touching nearby stuff. Also for hobby stuff this won't make financial sense, but if you have the budget to blow then a 2 eyepiece microscope is just fantastic for small parts. It's amazing what a difference it makes when you can actually see what you're doing!

 

Interesting info about the solder paste. We use it at work with stencils and a stencil machine and the guy who does the production tells me that it definitely doesn't work good when it gets old, for that use case anyway.

For commercial products, using old paste isn't worth the potential rework required. For hobbyist projects stencils are uncommon and we just dab the solder where we need it; without much regard as to whether it's just the right amount.

Solder paste is insanely expensive in small quantity, so a hobbyist would be burning money if they observed expiration dates:

 

Solder paste with an iron can be a messy problem. There are volatile compounds in the paste and if you hit it with a hot iron it tends to spatter little solder balls all over everything. This can be prevented by preheating for an adequate time to evaporate at least the majority of the volatile compounds. A hot hair dryer for a few minutes might be OK.

I've used quite old paste with manual application (0.3 mL syringe with 28 gauge needle with tip cut square). It is harder to dispense than fresh paste, but seems to produce decent joints. With stencil printing it can be a challenge to get clean release of even fresh paste from the small apertures required for fine pitch ICs or small discretes. Laser cut stainless steel stencils don't work very well (sidewalls of the apertures are too rough) and as I recall the adder for the appropriate type was about $100 or $150 the last time I had one made.