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Epiphanes?

Bingo! Which one are you using? I have tried pretty well all of their variations so far, and haven't found much difference from one to the other. Not inexpensive, but it's heavy enough that once thinned to flow nicely, a pint goes a long, long way...

On the brushed shellac front... I tried that a few times, also sprayed some, but it never gets as hard and durable as a french polished shellac finish. It's my belief, because of the above-mentioned experience, that the heat and pressure we create while french polishing has a definite effect on the final outcome. The brushed and sprayed surfaces looked as good or better when fresh and new, but with time(few years), degraded much more, and more quickly, than expected.

I probably go 4 or 5 coats before any sanding. Even that is done with no less than 600G. Little point removing what you have just put on - unless it is necessary. I sand again before laying on the last 2 coats. So the procedure might go: 3 lots of 4 coats, sanding between. 2 final coats then final sand/Polish. . . or glazing if you don't want to go through all the grits. Everything is left to harden for at least a full month. You need to let it harden longer than the French Polish method, simply because it tends to be a thicker finished film. If you sand back too early, the finish will shrink back and you will get a slight textured look.
I can't really tell you a specific 'cut' other than to say that it is applied very thin, watery thin. Probably slightly less than a 1lb cut. There are many other Spirit varnish recipes aside from straight Shellac. I always add a few drops of Spike Oil of Lavender which extends the brushing time a little. It also means it takes longer to dry and fully harden. I can't say that I've noticed any difference in hardness/durability between brushed on Spirit and a French Polished surface. Then again there are MANY variables. You can make Spirit Varnish hard and chippy, you can also make it soft and gummy. I'm playing a Guitar that I used Spirit on 3 years ago, it's standing up very well indeed. It's played virtually everyday. If anything my French Polished surfaces wear through much quicker.