Nice job, thanks for posting it.
Just a thought on the finish. Most of the problems I experience at the end of a pen blank occur when I press fit them together. I think the pressure pushes the CA layer and it flexes up making the cloudy areas. Be sure to sand the ends of the blank before putting the pen together to remove any CA overhang.
I good way to tell if you are sanding through the finish (happens a lot) is to clean the blank and then apply two or three coats of thin Ca, let it dry or spray a tiny bit of accelertor on it while spinning. Then sand with 400, 600 and the first MM and wipe clean. The dull or cloudy spots are where you sanded the finish off. If you have any, then repeat until you don't, then finish with some medium CA or more thin ca, several coats and then resand using just the micro mesh (unless you have alot of ridges, then do the 400, 600 first).
It might sound stupid or duplicate efforts, but I "pre-finish' all my pens now before I start in earnest with the CA finish. It has eliminated my cloudy spots.
Unrelated to sanding, if your wood has some moisture in it, nothing will keep it from clouding, but letting it dry.
