This was my first attempt at veneering and doing a French polish. The veneer on the box is the 3rd application of veneer as the first two had to be scraped off due to the book match separating as the veneer dried. I also had issues with applying the finish mainly due to lack of pore filling before adding the shellac and being impatient. It took months of on and off again work on this box before I gave it as a late wedding present to T.J. and after some long term testing we have discovered it works as intended.