Jerry have you ever used Spar varnish as a base coat/sealer prior to using the Tru Oil?
Spar Varnish was used by bamboo rod builders before impregnated rods came about. Spar varnish can take up to 6 months to fully cure. What was great about it for bamboo fly rods is that it withstood the contant flexilng and the finish never cracked. I guess the easy term is elasticity.
There are all kinds of concoctions out there. True Oil is basically some of those ingrediants and makes it easy to use.
I have used shellac and French Polished a few. You can do a complete stock in a few hours just keep going over the same small area until it's at the stage you want. You can always dull it by rottenstone.
