I am new to the forum, bit have not attended meetings yet. I know its an old post. But here is my two cents:
Stabilizing pen blanks under vacuum, makes punky soft woods solid. I use Curtis sebecks cactus juice and cook it after a long soak. It does darken the wood a bit, and no longer smells like wood. More dustsy than shavings. They are easier to turn than ebony or trustone. It is an acrylic resin from what I understand.
Buffalo horn stabilized by me has not cracked.
Fossilised whale bone stabilized by me held together on the lathe with no chip out on the ends.
Pine cones and corn cob from what I have seen are cast in a resin mold. This is different than stabilizing. Although from what I have heard, you can cast under vaccum so that are no air bubbles.
Hope this help if not too outdated