French polish: Shellac finish. Applied with the shellac being carried in a cloth and lubricated with a very small amount of linseed oil. Sometimes other oils are used depending on the person doing the finishing. Lots of different techniques in the application. The constant light coats applied by this method dry almost immediately, the oil providing a lubricating property to keep the cloth 'ball' lightly saturated with the shellac from dragging and sticking to the finish already down on the surface. A continuous application can be undertaken if the work area is large enough.
Shellac is alcohol based as a solvent/carrier, so anything with alcohol in it will damage the finish.
Some very talented in French polishing, especially in furniture restoration and finishing do a final coat with almost all alcohol call 'flashing off'. It cuts the top coat of the finish and drys almost immediately leaving a dead flat gloss surface.
Filler coats on bare wood are sometimes mixed with a sprinkling of pumice or rottenstone (even 'plaster of paris' was used in older furniture work) to fill pores. Not used in gun work too much as the filler grit is tough on checkering tools, but it is done.
