"Any that "splooges out can be wiped off with no ill effects."
Too bad a former president of ours didnt heed this advice.
Just my .02, if you epoxy AFTER you wire,the wire "may" eventually flex at the tail wrap and crack the epoxy there, this "may" cause a place for water to get under the finish, but by that time there may be other dents and tooth holes in it anyway so it may not matter that much.And Dave does use stiffer wire, so that would probably never happen on his plugs anyway.
Youre right BF, if you epoxy the lip in its not coming back out unless you crack the plug open, so keep that in mind also,but that is also not such a bad thing either since the lip wont shift causing a change in the action . Its a matter of personal preference I guess. Components have to work in harmony and thats all part of the fun.