Hank
Interesting articles - identifies the three 'basic food groups' of finishing.
I use a lot of 'danish oil' in my shop for items other than pens. Danish oil is essentially a drying oil (traditionally BLO, Tung oil, or walnut oil although some commercial products may use other oils such as safflower) mixed with a thinner, and possibly with varnish solids. Actually, I make my own by combining a high-quality alkyd varnish with pure Tung oil and turpentine (equal quantities) - wipe on, allow to soak for around an hour, and then wipe off. I typically use three applications, allowing 2-6 hours of cure time between coats, and buffing lightly with a gray niweb pad between applications.
I also use a lacquer, especially on pens. I make up a friction polish consisting of a brushing lacquer, lacquer thinner, and pure Tung oil. This is applied just like shellac-based friction polishes (wipe on, spin at high speed while rubbing to generate friction and heat), and reapply as desired to build depth. The advantage of friction polish is that it is applied quickly (no need to wait hours between applications), and when made using lacquer, it withstands the rigors of use just as well as CA. Shellac-based friction polishes (OB Shine Juice, and most commercial friction polishes) don't hold up well because shellac can't withstand the abrasion and oils associated with frequent handling that pens get in ordinary use.
But I also use thinned lacquer all by itself. This is a great finish for bottle stoppers, and it buffs beautifully using either a wax-buffing paste (TriplEEE, Dr. Kirks, Yorkshire Grit, Acks, etc) or the traditional three-wheel buffing sequence.
I do keep shellac, but I mainly use it as a sanding sealer or barrier coating rather than as a final finish.