Against the grain

I turned a hart Dbl. twist pen from Locust wood. I cut the pen blanks accross the grain instead of with the grain (photo below). I carefully used a gouge to get the blank round and then used sandpaper to size and shape it. I started with 40 grit to rough it in then progresivly sanded to 800 grit. This took consideratly more time of course but eliminated the probability of blowout. I think the effect is worth the extra time.