Epoxy Putty vs Liquid Epoxy

Today I FINALLY got to put the armature together!

The good news? The joints worked beautifully – knees, legs, and even the ball joints in the back. The only issue was with the chest and pelvis pipes. I used epoxy putty to secure the pipes to the 3D printed pieces. Some epoxy was strong and held the parts together well, but other areas broke apart easily. It was a little disappointing but I was certain there was a solution!

*A real life photo of myself (or as the stork in Dumbo) desperately trying to save my baby from disastrous demise*

I put my baby kitten bones in a cardboard box and walked her to the Innovation Hub for advice. The staff there suggested I try liquid epoxy or redesigning the chest plate.

I bought some liquid 2 part epoxy from Target and miraculously, it worked! I used the syringe to squeeze the epoxy into the holes of the chest and pelvis plates and then pushed the pipes in. It was a little messy and I had to work fast (thankfully I remembered to wear gloves and protect my workplace…that epoxy is no joke! So sticky and it dries SO QUICKLY). One plus was that I didn’t have to mix the epoxy for 375,892,128 years like I did while using the epoxy putty.

*Why my apartment smelled so bad for a hot minute. Shoutout to my roommate for being okay with it. She's an animator too, so she gets it!*

Fun fact: They both smell terrible. But the liquid epoxy was worth the horrific scent. :) Let’s see how the pieces hold up in a few hours!