You are in luck!  Contact me and if, any way, you can blame the failure on the blank, I will send you a merchandise certificate for 100% of the cost of the blank.  If you believe the damage occured due to your mistake, you are still in luck!  Just let me know and I will send you a merchandise certificate for 50% of the cost of the blank.  You can use the certificate for anything on your website.  No pictures or proof necessary.  Your word is good enough for me!

I suggest that you use some type of film finish on the completed blank.  This is for 2 reasons.  First, the resin that I use is harder to get a really super gloss so if you are looking for the "wet look" use CA.  Second, I personally have seen "Original Cactus Blank"™ pens made by others who did not put a film finish on the blank and the cactus looked dingy from hand oils.  Remember, the cactus fibers will be on the surface of the pen and I suggest protecting them.  Again, I use CA on everything.

I suggest that you treat my "Texas Hybrid"™ pen blanks as if they were just wood blanks.  If you use a finish on your wood blanks, do the same for the "Texas Hybrid"™ blanks.  Personally, I prefer a CA finish and use it on every pen I make.

My blanks cost more mainly due to the amount of prep work labor that goes into each blank.  Most of the wood that I use either comes from the roots of the trees or from wood that has a lot of "ugly" spots in them such as rotted areas that look terrible.  I spend a LOT of time meticulously cleaning out the rocks and dirt (whice is frequently hit with the bandsaw which trashes the balde) from the root stock and removing the "ugly" wood long before I cast the blanks.