I have tried to use the Trustone pen blanks for kitless pen making (always with another threadable material for tenons and tapping), but have never had much luck with bringing their colors out when I turn them on a metal lathe. In the case of the Lapis color, my pen blank turned a milky blue with dark blue bands on it. Just for experimenting, I am going to turn one with the new tangential Diamond Toolholders I just received to see if tool cutter pressure might be the reason for the discoloration. Any thoughts?