Refinishing the cabinets

Trailers from the 50s and 60s are traditionally finished with shellac for that classic amber glow.  To test for shellac, you rub the finish with some isopropyl alcohol and if the finish becomes tacky, it's likely shellac...Ours is not shellac.

Regardless, we scraped whatever finish was used and prepared to refinish our cabinets.  Shellac is not as hard as modern polyurethane finishes, but it has one advantage...you can apply it using the french polish method for a simple, high gloss finish. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_polish

We were not looking for a mirror shine finish, so 3 coats of amber and our rear bed/couch cabinets were ready to be reinstalled.