Why did my Deep Pour epoxy overheat, crack, or pull away while curing?

Cracking, shrinking from the mold, smoking, boiling, or separating from the wood within hours of a pour means the epoxy overheated. UltraClear Deep Pour Epoxy generates heat as it cures; the more epoxy reacting in one place, the hotter and faster it goes. That's why a small test cup can take 72 hours to harden while a large pour of the same mix flashes off overnight.

The usual causes: pouring deeper than 1" in a single layer; batches larger than 1.5 gallons, or batches combined in one container; mixing too long (3 to 4 minutes is enough; add color during that mix, not afterward); letting mixed epoxy sit in the container instead of pouring immediately (after about 10 minutes it can begin to flash cure); and a warm room. Keep the room around 60 to 70°F; large batches cure much faster in warm conditions. Wood that wasn't sealed first with UltraClear Bar & Table Top Epoxy can also expand and contract as the pour heats, cracking the epoxy. If you poured Bar & Table Top Epoxy itself deeper than 1/8", that alone makes it smoke and crack; use Deep Pour for anything 1/4" or thicker.

For general use, pour no more than 1" per layer, 12 to 24 hours apart (a 1.5" pour is two 3/4" layers); experienced users in controlled conditions can pour up to 2". To fix a cracked pour, sand out the cracked epoxy, re-pour, then top coat with Bar & Table Top Epoxy. Instructions: https://ultraclear.helpscoutdocs.com/article/840-deep-pour-epoxy-instructions