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Good afternoon guys,

I hope you are having a great weekend.

Yesterday i made two acrylic rings and i glued them on the shank using the same epoxy glue i use all the time. Today when i went to see how it had set i noticed that although the rings are nicely fit ( i tried very hard to move the acrylic and it didn't bulge ) the remaining epoxy, the excess was soft and somewhat like putty. This never happened to me so i don't know what to do. Can i turn the shank with the rings? Should i wait more? Is it ruined?

One thing i noticed is that when mixing the epoxy components the darker one was a bit less than the clear one. I tried to compensate but i don't know if that was the problem.

Thank you in advance.

Sweet Smokes

Bruno

I have had this happen a few times. When it does it is because I mixed the epoxy wrong....too much resin and not enough hardner. I just waited longer for it to harden.

It will harden up eventually I think, but like Scottie said, it sounds like you didn't mix it right/well. Is the temperature okay? If it's cold, epoxy takes a real long time to set.

Bruno,
I don't know what brands are available to you in Lisbon so I'll have to speak in general terms. One fact is certain: if you ask 10 carvers for their preference in epoxies you will most likely get 10 different sworn testimonials.
Most tend to be reasonably forgiving in their mix ratios. That being said, I try to measure as carefully as I can and thoroughly mix. Don't ignore the shelf life.
In my opinion, too much hardener tends to reduce the strength and make the joint brittle. Rough up the bonding surfaces and clean the surfaces to make sure there are no skin oils or other impurities. Don't over-clamp and squeeze out the majority of the glue. And (very important in my book) don't immediately toss your mixing container. Carefully check what remains after a proper set-up time. If it does not look right be very suspicious of your glue joint.
If you are gluing acrylic to acrylic use a cement especially for that purpose rather than epoxy. It melts the surfaces and allows them to become fused together.
In your instance, give it some more time and see if the excess sets up
My favorite epoxies: G-Flex and Cytec and JB Weld if higher temperatures are involved.

Thank you for your answers guys and girl

When i was mixing the two compounds i immediately noticed one had a larger amount than the other and i should have stopped there. It was probably the case as i am using this epoxy brand / type for some years and i never had such a problem.

Well, i think i have to take one step backwards on this pipe.

Have a Great Weekend and Sweet Smokes!