I feel your pain
Sounds like you have some oil entrapped in the finish. I had a similar problem early in my FP learning curve when I was using mineral oil as the lubricant. I switched to walnut oil, and I only use a few drops per bodying session. Since the switch to walnut oil and very judicious use of it, I have had no problems. Spiriting off with a pad charged with straight alcohol really hardens the finish and brings the excess oil to the surface. There is probably a bit of oil left in the film as an emulsion, but spiriting off removes the "free oil", to coin a term. It takes a knack to know how damp to have the spiriting pad so you only burnish the surface and not attack it with too much alcohol.Don't give up on FP. What you have experienced is pretty standard for those who are crazy enough to want to master French polishing. The process is pretty much entirely by feel and experience. You can tell when a pad is too wet and should be left to dry a bit, or if you need to move to a fresh part of your pad as it gets glazed over. Sounds like a mystical Zen-like mantra, but "always look for the clouds", meaning the small trace behind your pad that is the alcohol flashing off. No clouds means you aren't French polishing.
