Shellac wasn't working for me as per Skipper's tutorial. But, I like putting on the clear coat with a rag with my wipe on Poly. I know-- not the "go to" finish, but works quite nicely for me. The french polish method works with different things.And if the clear coat is not super thick, you can get quite a nice, smooth finish. Maybe back in the day shellac was composed differently-- it's biological flakes dissolved in denatured alcohol--But, I was just getting a cloudy surface. So.. I experimented. Glad I did. I learned a lot. Pat