Note - Our preferred choice of adhesive for gluing the shells to the midplate and other parts is Ambroid, as discussed on the Glues page.  If this is not available to you, then we suggest using regular two-part epoxy with a special dye to simulate the look.  This chapter was up prominently before our addition of the Ambroid information, and it is being kept around just in case.

With multiple brands of epoxy often available from even the corner pharmacy, two big choices are before you here:  color and curing time.  First the color.  As mentioned above, vintage epoxies were not colorless, even fresh out of the tube.  What Wah used has today a yellow-orange tint.  But is that color from age or was it there the whole time?  Answer is... been there all along!  A screen cap of Beta from 2nd Season "Catspaw" (right>>) clearly shows a deep color after only one year, so it is your choice as to whether you go modern clear or create an amber tint that accurately harkens back some.  More on that later.

Regarding curing time, your instinct may be to pick the 5 minute quick stuff.  We suggest otherwise, since that starts out very thick and just gets ever more difficult to apply with every tick of the clock.  Try a standard length (30 minute) cure time epoxy.  It spreads easily, allows time to mix in a color and fills in gaps more completely once applied.  Our pick is Devcon 2-Ton Clear Weld Epoxy.

A challenge is faced to then give it that golden patina - which again was the true original color, although maybe not as quite as dark as it is today.  You can't just add a paint, as the pigment solids will cloud it up, especially when throwing in enough to achieve a saturated color.  It has to be dyed, and since epoxy glue is hydrophobic, it can't be water-based.  We have found two products that tested thus far to be equally viable... a blend of mostly Yellow Rit Liquid Dye with a touch of Scarlet, or the same yellow-to-red ratio of "Castin'Craft Resin Casting Accessories Transparent Dye Kit (shown below; the kit - recently from the shelf of an A.C. Moore - may be a discontinued item as only separate colors are now listed online), as close to something specifically designed for the task as you're going to find.  The epoxy's curing time is lengthened but final strength does not seem to be adversely effected at all.  And remember the depth of color will depend on the depth of the layer; it only gets really rich in hue when there is a lot built up in one place.