simple jack is turning out to be a bit of an *******
had the stem re-attached and tested a good 20 or so times, then was gradually cleaning it up (had reinforced the middle of the stem with epoxy, but that was causing issues with alignment) and testing it. after the finishing touches i put it on a real board, confident it would work, and boom- back to step 0.
going to have to kill another slider to get the stem out
whole process is all new to me, so good learning experience, just time-consuming and a bit frustrating.
think i'm going to have to sand the contact points of the broken stem because the epoxy is coming off clean, making it seem like it's not really bonding with the clack. i figure some sanding, a good foundation, and then do a better job of reinforcing the inside of the stem so that it doesn't interfere with the stem guides in the slider is the best chance i have at a solid hold. will spam thread with my "progress" again in a few days.
until then, the taunt is real