[PsychMan]

Thanks all, especially merlinmaxwell and David for such a detailed replies. So consensus does seem im coating too thick. Perhaps I got away with it with good results at the end of the can when it was thicker and the curing process had already started to a point.

So if I thin it with white spirit and spread it thinly I shouldn’t have problems with brush marks? I will certainly try it tomorrow. I have at least been careful to apply it with minimal brush strokes, and minimise any spreading and overlap, so I’ve been doing some of it correctly. Perhaps thinning is the key then, I’ll report back how it goes. The reason I chose this varnish in the end is it does go on much thicker than aerosol lacquer and over several coats will fill the grain very well. The amber hue it applies also worked perfectly with the stain and gave me the look I was after

French polish does appeal to me, but I’d need to invest a bit for that and spend some time learning. I do intend to do that, but for now I just want to finish this project. It’s been running so long I am losing interest, but I’ve already spent so much time on the cabinet, not to mention a complete tear down and renovation of the deck (Garrard RC121 mk2) that there’s no way I could abandon this now