Very nice work, I can see the progression of the finish and the later ones are top notch. I can offer you this bit of advise. When you order kits, especially high end kits order plenty of spare tubes. That way you can turn lots of wood and only use the standouts for the high end kits. If you are looking for a different kit, I would suggest getting some statesmen, and some Gents, they are completely interchangeable so you have to option of turning the blanks, then picking the kit to match. You may want to invest in a set of transfer punches as well, so that you can disassemble a pen that you decide you're not crazy about and use it again with different tubes. I find the kits like the emperor and imperial tend to limit you to straight or nearly straight blanks, where other kits give you more latitude to turn different profiles. Not necessarily a bad thing, but you might want to give both a whirl. All in all you are well on your way, and i look forward to seeing your next project.
On blanks, while there is nothing wrong with the selection of stabilized blanks offered by the big companies, My experience, however, is that if you want a really outstanding piece, go for something handpicked by an experienced pen turner. There are more world class pen blanks and potential blanks in the hands of the membership here at IAP than anywhere else in the world, and the vast majority sell for the same as or less than the ones randomly picked from a bin by a stock clerk at a dealer. Don't be nervous about the blanks not being stabilized either. At the exceptional level of wood quality that most of the sellers deal with here, almost any blank will be solid, hard and tight enough to be turned and finished as well or even better than a stabilized blank.
Just an opinion, but I would be willing that after ordering some blanks from our preferred vendors here, you will not order another off the shelf blank again, and the quality, and price of your pens will improve greatly.
