Another sample pen blank I got from Zambezi Exotics that looked really good as a blank, but I wasn't that thrilled with the results. That may be mostly because this was the most difficult wood I've worked with to date. It took well over a half hour to turn this blank down, mostly because my tools kept heating up from the turning process (very hard wood). Plus, the ends of the blanks chipped away right as I was finishing the turns, so some of the edges are rough. This is not a sample I'll be selling. For me, it just doesn't look as good as I had hoped it would. I still have another blank of this that I might turn into a pencil just to see if I have better luck with a different blank, but I'm not hopeful.

Of course, someone else might see this and think it's really beautiful, and if so, let me know because I'll make you a heck of a deal. :)

The pen was a standard turn with sanding and Shellawax finish with no stain or coloring.