RE: Epoxy Question - am I doing something wrong?
Do yourself a favor and don't bother with 5-minute Epoxy. I won't even look at it unless it's at leat 15-min, and I rarely even use that.
30-minute is your best bet. It gives you longer working time, adhears to the wood better, and even the 5-min stuff still takes 24 hrs to completely cure. If you really need the fast setting time, use CA - It's just as good as 5-minute epoxy.