: I modified my hatch covers by gluing a little strap on to tail out for a
: grip. My fingers dont pry the cover off well enough. But the 5-minute
: epoxy didnt bond to the hatch! Peeled off like gum. There is no varnish in
: there, I'd have thought the stuff would bond.

I had problems with the 15 minute stuff until I figured out what I was doing wrong. I've had no problems since.

1. Even though it's 15 minute (5 in your case), it still takes about 24 hours to fully cure. I had my bungy straps for my hatch come off (after about 8h cure) because it hadn't cured long enough and the hot sun (in Seattle?) softened it up. I haven't had one problem with it once fully cured.

2. Roughen up (sand) both surfaces prior to bonding just like you would with the regular epoxy.

3. Make sure that the epoxy has a fillet around the outside of what you're gluing when you're all done. If the epoxy isn't squeezed out all the way around you'll have a stress riser under the part which is where it will start to let go.

It sounds to me that you didn't let it cure long enough. Just because it says 5-minute doesn't mean it's fully cured by then. You just won't be able to move it around any more after 5 minutes. I personally like the 15 minute stuff because it's plenty fast enough and it seams to be pretty strong.