I have no doubt that done right the shellac is a good finish. I'm like you, I think they just slathered it on during refurb.

I opted to go with a BLOicon rub. So far it's looking pretty good. A tad darker than what was on it, but it's making the cartouche and imperfections pop out well.

What sucks is some of the detail of the cartouche has diminished while I was cleaning. Not much, the fletching on the arrow more than anything. However, I can see the date stamp under the star better now.