Too much time on my hands

I have a client that really likes Purple Heart so I decided to fix a lever action pen for him.  On the forearm I glued a piece front and rear of the deer antler  after I drilled it.  Then let it dry for a couple hours before putting it on the lathe.  Theoretically, you are supposed to 'square' the ends of the tube before turning - however because of the irregular shape of the antler I turn it 3/4's of the way then put it in the vise and 'square' (trim) the ends to correct length.
Well, one end worked just perfect and I should have expected a mishap and it did happen.   When I turned the tube over in the vise the Purple Heart exploded as soon as the carbide trim bit touched it.   Fortunately, I just dumbed not stupid so I glued another piece of predrilled Purple Heart to the tube.  Let  the glue dry and cut it close on the band saw, then hand sanded to the right dimension.
The butt stock was a piece of cake once I got the blank squared up.  Then It was just a matter of shaping and hand sanding. 
It turned out so cute I couldn't stand it and called to see if he was home.   He has just come in from balling hay and his wife invited me to dinner featuring potato salad, beans and New Orleans Hot Dogs.   As I mentioned earlier, I'm dumb, not stupid so I drove the 1/2 hour to their farm and gave him the pen (no charge) and had a nice visit as well as a welcome dinner.