Paul - you should give it a chance again. Heat it as everyone says and don't worry about the bubbles. I like to use a cup of hot water and immerse the container of e-tex in it as I work the stuff. I use a spinner and can do 30 or more plugs at a shot.
For the bubbles. Don't worry about them as you work, after coating all plugs I use a propane torch and sweep the bottom of the spinning plugs for sometime (about a minute). This eliminates all the bubbles and you can actually see the finish smooth out.
