What I learned this morning - - -
I spoke to Mas Epoxy regarding the failure. As suspected this was a product issue (not my fault!!!). Apparently, one of the components, the Resin, must have started crystallizing similar to what honey does when it is stored in cold temperature. The natural state of Resin is as a solid and so the changes in temperature can jump start the process to change back from liquid to a solid. I asked if this was a bad batch of product, and he stated no it was a storage issue of how/where Rockler had warehoused the product that exposed it to cold temperatures or significant temperature variations, such as stored in warehouse in Minnesota in winter and then transferred to store location in Texas. This crystallization condition is reversible by soaking the Resin container in a bucket of hot water (general guidelines: 125F-130F for 45 minutes) until crystals disappear and Resin returns to liquid state. He was aware that this was unrealistic for a hobbyist and it shouldn't be expected if you just bought it at the store. They are shipping me a replacement batch.
Picture I hijacked that shows Resin with varying degrees of crystallization.
I now know what to look for...
1) Seal Coat - always helps to do a thin Seal Coat first before the Flood Coat. The Seal Coat serves to close off open pores in the wood. With the coating being so thin the air/gas is able to easily transit through this coating and get released without any issues, and now there is a barrier that retards or stops the release of additional air when you do the Flood Coat. After 3-4 hours you can come back and apply the Flood Coat (thick coating) without concern of excess amounts of air trying to escape the wood and get trapped inside the thick epoxy coating.
2) Both components should readily flow out of their containers, and not the chunky globulets that I encountered out of the Resin container.
3) Using paddle mixer is totally fine - just keep it at low speed so that excess air bubbles aren't introduced into the mixture.
4) If mixing the full 1 gallon pour then you'll need 10 minutes of total stir time. First, pour Hardener into the bucket and then pour the Resin on top, and mix for 8 minutes making certain to scrape the sides and bottom. Now pour mixture into a second clean bucket (scrape out everything from 1st bucket) and continue to stir for another 1-2 minutes to ensure complete even blending and no unmixed pockets.
5) Epoxy should be relatively clear when it is poured.
As per MAS Epoxy, the only way to remove the epoxy once hardened is my "Mechanical" means - grinder, sander, etc.