Panfan; From your description it sounds to me that somehow you got unequal amounts and ended up with more hardner than resin....thus the fast setup time. May I suggest for future rod handles and reel seat assemblies, you purchase some Rod Bond. This is a paste type 2 part epoxy made by U-40 and is the standard epoxy used by most of us custom rod builders. The beauty of Rod Bond is that it is a paste with a rather slow setup time. It allows you to take your time working with it with plenty of time to cleanup excess around handle and reel seat, sets up overnight and is flexible once cured, unlike many of the other 2 part fast drying epoxys. Certainly been a great product in my opinion.

------------------