Thanks for the compliments! On this pen my first couple layers were very lumpy so had to sand down and start over. Also learned that regular paper towels do not compare to blue shop towels. The blue shop towels allowed the glue to sit on the towel and not soak in like the paper towel did. And McGuire's plastic x is awesome as a polish and not expensive. I still prefer the real wood feel and look but a couple people asked me to make them some pens with the glossy finish so I wanted to try. It is my 5th pen as I am a beginner to wood turning.