Hi all, the 1st was easy, when using a oily grease such as the copper based anti seize grease that I was, to make it thicker, pour some out on a rag and let it absorb the oil, leaving the anti seize product thicker & more suitable to use.
The 2nd one, & I know some may cringe when reading, but I finally removed the Shimano BB that was not allowing me a suitable chainline with my Campagnolo crankset. I did try different cup, ball size and axle combinations, I decided to try a OMAS 114mm road BB, no not quite right the 1st time, then I turned it around, in other words fitting incorrectly, did all the math, & after rebuilding the Zeus hub, ( which looks like a Campagnolo replica anyway, esp as the dustcaps are now Campagnolo ), the flanges are within 1mm of being central in the dropouts, who would have thought, so maybe this little exercise will help someone else out there.
PS, yes the OMAS BB has been fitted centrally in the BB shell.