Ever since September 2025…
I’ve been trying to figure this epoxy thing out.
Deep pour.
Table pour.
Seal coats.
Food safe.
Bubbles.
Cure times.
It felt like learning a new language.
This Shou Sugi Ban board you’re looking at?
That’s not just burned wood.
That’s frustration.
That’s trial and error.
That’s Amazon boxes showing up for a month straight.
That’s prepping, taping, mixing, second guessing.
And today at 4:45 p.m., we’re 6 hours and 25 minutes into the cure.
Checking every 30 minutes.
Blowing bubbles.
Watching. Waiting. Learning patience.
But here’s the real part of the story…
I couldn’t crack this alone.
Troy — my teacher at TXRX — stepped in and helped me understand what I was doing wrong. Sometimes reinvention isn’t about grinding harder. It’s about finding the right guide.
Retirement didn’t make me stop learning.
It made me a beginner again.
And there’s something humbling — and powerful — about that.
Sam & Herc aren’t just traveling the world.
We’re building things.
We’re learning new crafts.
We’re proving that starting over at any age is possible.
This epoxy will cure.
And so will doubt.