I am new to penturning, at under ten pens, so I though I would try to get some expert advice about a problem that I ran into. I wanted to make a pencil for myself to use at work. I made it from a standard slimline kit with tulip wood. I left the barrel a little larger than standard, sanded from 180 to 1000 grit in small steps. I sanded with the lathe on and then by hand along the grain at each grit. I then used EEE Ultrashine and finished with Shellawax liquid. Everything looked smooth and shiny for a while. But, after two weeks of carrying it in my pocket the grain has kind of opened up and the surface is not perfectly smooth anymore. This is ok for my use, but I am getting ready to try and make several pens for Christmas gifts and I want the finish to be really nice. Did I finish this incorrectly, or was it a poor choice of final finish, or just silly to carry the thing in my pocket? Thanks everyone.