You have turned a very nice pen, and will likely get grabbed by the addictive nature of this pursuit. I am not knowing what finish you are using, but if you use CA, there is a way to minimize the transference of color to lighter woods. It is very difficult to remove coloration from the maple without turning it away. Instead try to prevent the color from getting there. Those really good with the skew will not sand at all. I approach this challenge by sealing the maple with thin CA prior to any sanding, and reapply the CA quite frequently through the entire sanding process so that you are never exposing unsealed Maple to the red sanding dust (and dye). I expect you can use the same principle with whatever sealing finish you are using. Great work...keep it up!
Yes its a CA finish and I know about wetting it with CA before sanding or only using a skew.
I don't trust my skew work just yet and this was a gift for Saturday so didn't want to mess it up. So I sanded with 80 grit the last 1/32th or so to final shape. I was also rushing and it didn't even cross my mind.
Using DNA to clean it may have also helped to transfer the color.
I am going to use the CA trick on an inlay pen. My wife's voice teacher just got her PhD last week and I showed her the piano inlay kit at Rockler. So I'm
forced :wink: to make her one, well really a pencil since that what they use day to day on their music.
I searched and found the blank and a pencil kit on Exotic Blanks. But since coming here I've read that a certain bit of kit can turn any Parker refill into a pencil.