[swarfmacdaddy]

Shoe polish is a very poor choice to say the least as it contains a lot a wax which will prevent any finish coats from bonding. I would try analine dyes, they come in a powdered form and you mix them with alcohol. They will penetrate very deep into the wood so if you need to sand anything alot you will still have color. Stay away from the garbage water borne laquer stains as they are a product of the EPA telling us whats good for us. (they have no clue) As any new homeowner can tell you,why do my cabinets scratch so easy? Because wood work used to be finished as such: Oil stain applied depending on wood type. Softer woods need stain controller added, and maybe several coats for very hard woods. Then 3 to 5 coats of laquer sanding sealer,sanded and dusted between coats,then 1or 2 coats of laquer finish sanded first coat only with 2000 steel wool. Stay away from home grade finishes as most are EPA controlled. Your best bet is to just go to Grizzly and check out the finishes the have for musical instruments. They have a great selection of good finishes.New woodwork is finished in 1 coat with the stain being added to the finish(water borne laquers =JUNK) this is why modern cabinets scratch so easy.I have seen dark cherry stain/finish put on oak and if you scratch the surface you are faced with a very light colored wood showing through that is very hard to touch up.