Nice couple there, Steve. I reckon you'd have to be extremely lucky to avoid even the slightest of blemishes showing on a plain pen. Have a go at trying to bring Irish Bog Oak to a finish similar to a shiny black toe cap on a shoe - you think you've achieved an acceptable finish until it's photographed, then the pen looks as if it has been dragged by train from London to Glasgow! The burl woods are a lot less demanding, and I think, make lovelier pens.
Bob.