Marble repair question

[dbacke]

I am trying to fix a peice of marble that sits on top of a china cabinet. The broken portion is triangular and about 12 inches on each side.
Originally I went to a hardware store for advice an was sent to a commerical countertop installer. They gave me some epoxy & hardener to use.
My husband tried to repair it but the harder didn't really harden the epoxy- it has been 6 days and it still isn't totally dry, though the commerical place said it should only take about 5 minutes.
Now, I need to know the best way to get the half hardened epoxy off without further damaging the marble slab and how to fix it.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
I read online that acetone, oven cleaner, or heating the epoxy would remove it. Has anyone tried these?
Thanks!!

[Mark D.]

If it isn't hard you should just carefully scrape it off and clean the pieces with acetone and get a good epoxy for stone.
There is no good reason why epoxy that has been mixed properly did not get hard. Perhaps the batch you r epoxy is from was bad or the containers were mislabeled.
For epoxy we recommend this:

http://www.defusco.com/INSTANT-INSTALL-29-MINUTE-EPOXY-20oz-KNIFE-GRADE
Glad to be of service,
Mark

[mr stone]

yes try acetone or even better mek (methyl ethyl ketone) that should work well with a razor to scrape the bad epoxy off. you may have had a bad tube of hardener. since your material is marble i suggest you scrape gently with the razor. marble is a soft stone and can be very easily damaged. once u obtain a good hardener and epoxy and have successfully removed the bad epoxy remember to clean the marble with the acetone or mek before applying the good epoxy, if you dont the mix will not bond with the stone.

[Mark D.]

Ummm,,,,MEK on marble? I think that would be a bad idea. You could etch the stone and ruin it.
If it was granite you could carefully try MEK but on marble don't do that.
Try Denatured Alcohol and GENTLY scrape off any excess with a razor blade. Then use a good epoxy to glue the broken parts back together.

Mark

[Stone Dude]

do not use MEK on marble, and i wouldnt recommend telling a DIY homeowner to use MEK. it is extremely hazardous.

you can use a haird dryer (for a long time) to heat up the epoxy. put it almost directly on the stone, and go over the area for 5-10 minutes. you have to be patient it will take a while. then the piece should seperate (if it is in dact not cured like you said). then you can use denatured alcohol like Mark said, or mineral spirits. either way, it wont look its best unless refinished by a profesional .