explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

3194: 16 Part Epoxy

2026-01-14T22:38:36Z

APP6A: /* Explanation */ Added more info on glue toxicity

{{comic
| number = 3194
| date = January 14, 2026
| title = 16 Part Epoxy
| image = 16_part_epoxy_2x.png
| imagesize = 511x595px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Some surfaces may seem difficult to glue. But if you research the materials, find tables of what adhesives work on them, and prepare your surfaces carefully, you can fail to glue them in a fun NEW way that fills your house with dangerous vapors.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by a bot covered in various types of glue. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

This comic refers to {{w|Epoxy|epoxy}}, a substance used for attaching other materials. Many types of epoxy are multi-part, where the components, such as resin and a hardener, are stored separately. They are mixed on use, so that the epoxy cures into a solid, binding to whatever surfaces on which it was applied. This comic presents a fictitious 16-part epoxy, with many components that are implausible or make fun of common problems people have when using epoxy in real life.

The title text references how not all epoxies and glues work on every material, and that applying them on some can require special techniques or products. Some industrial or industrial-grade adhesives contain solvents (e.g., {{w|Tetrachloroethylene|tetrachloroethylene}}, which is used in E6000 glue) that release harmful vapors as they cure. If used improperly, this can result in the release of chemical vapors in an enclosed space along other dangerous side effects, while also not working as a glue as intended.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Type
!Real?
!Explanation
|-
|Resin
|{{Yes}}
|A liquid which turns into a polymer when mixed with a hardener.
|-
|Hardener
|{{Yes}}
|A thick liquid which is mixed with resin to create a durable polymer which is commonly used as a glue.
|-
|Filler
|{{Yes}}
|An optional addition to the hardener and resin which changes the properties of the polymer.
|-
|Softener
|{{Yes}}
|A substance which is added to polymer to soften the polymer and increase its impact resistance.
|-
|Rosin
|{{Yes}}
|While this looks like a joke entry, this is actually an alternative to resin which is extracted naturally rather than synthesized from other chemicals. Rosin is frequently applied to the bows of string instruments like violins or fiddles to improve the sound, as immortalized in the famous song "The Devil Flew Down to Georgia".
|-
|Stuff that bonds permanently to skin and nothing else
|{{No}}
|One key annoyance with sticky substances is the difficulty of removing it when it bonds to skin. In this case, the polymer bonds solely to skin instead of anything else, making it more useful for a practical joke. Some epoxies are specifically designed for gluing skin, usually for medical purposes, but none are known to bond to skin exclusively.{{acn}} The most common kinds are moisture-activated, which means they will not easily bond to fully dried surfaces, where often most non-skin surfaces are dry.
|-
|Stuff that will crack and turn white over a few days, for decorative appearance
|{{No}}
|Many older walls have a tendency to crack due to exterior stresses. In this case, Randall claims there is a type of epoxy whose sole purpose is to mimic this effect for 'decorative appearance', which would not make sense as these cracked walls are visually unappealing to many. Where deliberately wanted, these effects are not usually achieved using epoxy.
|-
|Placebo
|{{No|Not in this field}}
|The {{w|placebo effect}} happens when somebody is told that something has a certain effect, when in reality there is no effect. This is commonly used in medical studies to determine whether a medication actually does something as opposed to simply having a {{w|psychosomatic effect}}, but Randall is using this term to describe the type of polymer. This makes no sense, because the polymer would need to make someone believe it is gluing things together without actually doing anything, which is highly unlikely. Alternatively, this could refer to a component or filler that claims to serve a specific purpose while having no true benefit, causing the perception of benefit to the consumer (presumably causing better reviews).
|-
|Minced duct tape
|{{No}}
|Randall is pretending that having very small pieces of sticky duct tape would make a good adhesive. In fact, cutting duct tape into small pieces would weaken it and make it ''less'' effective at sticking things together. In the UK, the word 'minced' can also mean 'made worthless', which would also not augur well for the adhesive.
|-
|Acetone fragrance
|{{No}}
|The fragrance of acetone is very similar to that of nail polish remover and comes from a natural solvent within it. Most people consider this scent incredibly unpleasant. This would also be worthless in an epoxy set, as the fragrance would have no effect on adhesiveness while making it smell worse.
|-
|Powdered bar magnets
|{{No}}
|While this would still work, as each tiny piece of magnet would still become a magnet in its own right, it would be much worse than a normal bar magnet due to the random orientation of each piece.
|-
|Polyethylvinylesteracetate
|{{No}}
|This seems like it would combine the effects of hardener and softener, which would not work.{{cn}}
|-
|2-Polyethylvinylesteracetate
|{{No}}
|This would be exactly the same as the normal one.
|-
|Salt and pepper to taste
|{{No|Not in this field}}
|Salt and pepper are two incredibly popular condiments which are used to enhance a dish's flavor. Using this would have no effect on the polymer.
|-
|Blood sample from the Gorilla Glue gorillas
|{{No}}
|{{w|Gorilla Glue}} is a popular brand of superglue which uses {{w|gorillas}} as its mascot. In this case, the blood of the gorillas would be extracted and placed in the polymer, which would have no effect because they're depicted as just regular gorillas that happen to carry glue everywhere.
|-
|Stuff that bonds to every known material except yours
|{{No}}
|Another common annoyance when using a polymer is that some types do not form an adhesive bond with certain materials. In this case, the polymer would bond with every material except for the one you were using, causing great distress.
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

Standard 16-Part Epoxy

[An epoxy applicator with a single push bar and sixteen differently-colored chambers, each labeled]

Resin

Hardener

Filler

Softener

Rosin

Stuff that bonds permanently to skin and nothing else

Stuff that will turn white and crack over a few days, for decorative appearance

Placebo

Minced duct tape

Acetone Fragrance

Powdered bar magnets

Polyethylvinylesteracetate

2-Polyethylvinylesteracetate

Salt and pepper to taste

Blood sample from the Gorilla Glue gorillas

Stuff that bonds to every known material except yours

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

[[Category:Comics with color]]

Talk:796: Bad Ex

2025-11-20T04:59:57Z

APP6A: Removed header

Interestingly, the Abstruse Goose webcomic (which is fairly similar to xkcd) also published a comic regarding a similar idea, called [http://abstrusegoose.com/114 iScreener]. --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 11:41, 16 April 2013 (UTC)

Who's to say the last panel ''is'' imaginary? Anonymous 01:21, 5 December 2013 (UTC)

The 1987 spoof movie "Amazon Women on the Moon," had a sketch where Steve Gutenberg tries to date Rosanna Arquette who then uses a service similar to a credit report where his prior dates have posted derogatory information about him -- for example, not calling back after his date had sex with him. Not a bad bit of foresight for a 1980's film! [[User:Danshoham|Mountain Hikes]] ([[User talk:Danshoham|talk]]) 03:47, 30 December 2015 (UTC)

I saw that a user had added a reference to the {{w|Tea (app)|Tea app}} in the explanation, which seemed incomplete, so I added additional information. That said, do we feel that it's relevant to mention the Tea app in the explanation, given that the comic predates the app by over a decade? I have no strong feelings either way, but wanted to pose the question here regardless. --[[User:APP6A|APP6A]] ([[User talk:APP6A|talk]]) 04:59, 20 November 2025 (UTC)

Talk:796: Bad Ex

2025-11-20T04:59:17Z

APP6A: /* Tea app? */ new section

Interestingly, the Abstruse Goose webcomic (which is fairly similar to xkcd) also published a comic regarding a similar idea, called [http://abstrusegoose.com/114 iScreener]. --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 11:41, 16 April 2013 (UTC)

Who's to say the last panel ''is'' imaginary? Anonymous 01:21, 5 December 2013 (UTC)

The 1987 spoof movie "Amazon Women on the Moon," had a sketch where Steve Gutenberg tries to date Rosanna Arquette who then uses a service similar to a credit report where his prior dates have posted derogatory information about him -- for example, not calling back after his date had sex with him. Not a bad bit of foresight for a 1980's film! [[User:Danshoham|Mountain Hikes]] ([[User talk:Danshoham|talk]]) 03:47, 30 December 2015 (UTC)

== Tea app? ==

I saw that a user had added a reference to the {{w|Tea (app)|Tea app}} in the explanation, which seemed incomplete, so I added additional information. That said, do we feel that it's relevant to mention the Tea app in the explanation, given that the comic predates the app by over a decade? I have no strong feelings either way, but wanted to pose the question here regardless. --[[User:APP6A|APP6A]] ([[User talk:APP6A|talk]]) 04:59, 20 November 2025 (UTC)

796: Bad Ex

2025-11-20T04:57:20Z

APP6A: /* Explanation */ Added more info on Tea app, including links

{{comic
| number = 796
| date = September 22, 2010
| title = Bad Ex
| image = bad ex.png
| titletext = Since the goatee, glasses, and Seltzer & Friedberg DVD collection didn't tip you off, there will be a $20 negligence charge for this service.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] has been betrayed by his girlfriend, and later found out that he's not the first one she betrayed. He thinks that society should provide a service that collects reports about such notorious liars, warning future dates about their true nature.

Cueball's friend, [[White Hat]], is concerned about the accuracy of the information, comparing this proposed service to {{w|Sex offender registration|sex offender registries}}, presumably suggesting that people would not want to operate such a database because of the risk of civil liability for defamation from inaccurate information, or simply that innocent people would be harmed if it was inaccurate. Cueball responds by suggesting that, if such a database could not be operated as a profitable business, a state's government might be willing to operate it because of the benefits to society.

In the last panel, we see such a notification being given to a woman at a date. One interpretation of this comic could be that the bearded man is not, in fact, a douchebag, but Cueball is calling him one because he is attracted to her, and thus wants to separate them.

The "State of California" wording is a reference to {{w|California Proposition 65 (1986)|California Proposition 65}} which requires specific products to have labels reading "This product contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm." California is also known for being a state with a government unusually willing to try out new policy ideas.

Something like this happened with the {{w|Tea (app)|"Tea" app}}, in which women could [https://www.dazeddigital.com/life-culture/article/68302/1/tea-the-new-app-where-women-anonymously-review-men use the app to anonymously exchange information] on men that they were currently dating or had dated in the past. Among other controversies, in 2025, the app [https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/tea-app-sued-for-millions-in-class-action-lawsuit-after-massive-data-breach-3235569/ suffered several data breaches] that exposed user identities (including government IDs) and direct messages.

The title text lists a few "{{w|douchebag}}" warning signals that the woman should have observed.

{{w|Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer}} were known for making shallow parody movies which were notoriously negatively received; some of their movies, including ''{{w|Epic Movie}}'' and ''{{w|Disaster Movie}}'', are considered to be among the worst movies ever made. That the woman can be charged $20 without her prior consent indicates that this is in fact a government service, as this could be done through the power to tax.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and White Hat are walking.]
:Cueball: It just blows my mind. She seemed so genuine. I had no idea she was such a serial liar.
:Cueball: I just wish I had our six months back.

:[The view focuses on Cueball.]
:Cueball: Her exes say the same thing happened to them.
:Cueball: Maybe what we need is a terrible-ex tracking and notification service.

:[Cueball turns, thoughtfully.]
:White Hat: But after all the problems with sex offender registries, who would agree to run it?
:Cueball: Maybe one of the state governments more willing to experiment could try it out...

:Soon...
:[Megan and a person with glasses and a goatee are sitting at a table, on which sit wine glasses and plates. Cueball approaches them carrying a clipboard and a license.]
:Cueball: Excuse me, ma'am.
:Megan: Yes?
:Cueball: This man is known to the state of California to be a ''total douchebag''.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Romance]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]