So, on the original subject of the topic...
I think I may be doing something just wrong with O.B. Shine Juice. I've had a number of pieces that just plain and simply would not take a shine and keep it. However I sanded back the lid of this box and refinished it with O.B Shine, and it kept the finish wonderfully. The box itself, whatever I did to cause the problem seems to have been permanent and in the grain, so no amount of sanding it back to try and refinish from the start seemed to work. I ended up buffing on the wheels with trip, wd, and finally carnauba both the lid and the box. It came out to a nice moderate shine in the end, although not the glass-like finish I'd been hoping for. The sheen on the box and the bowl are pretty much the same, so they go well together. I will probably finish the vase with a poly.
Thinking back, the original bottle of shine juice I started these particular pieces with, had probably been made 10 months ago. I thought it was made more recently, but I think it was actually made late last year. I am wondering if the oil was just totally rancid, and if that ruined all the pieces I tried to use it on. The shine juice I used to finish the lid of the box after sanding it back, was made just about the time I started this thread, and was kept indoors where Its around 70 degrees. And it seemed to work beautifully. Until I buffed, which diminished the shine, the lid of the box kept that brilliant glass-like reflection even after a few days of drying.
So I may have to revisit shine juice in the near future here, and make sure I approach the whole process correctly. I did some other research, and found a video of a guy who tested different ways to apply shine juice...low speed, high speed, low pressure, high pressure, etc. etc. I used the combination of factors that he found worked best, which I think was a low-ish speed with low to moderate pressure, and it did seem to make the most out of the shine juice. I also only did a few coats. After 3-4, it doesn't seem like, assuming it was applied right and is in fact working, that there is any additional benefit.
I'll try to grab some photos of the final results to share here.
Thank you all for your replies. So many of you shared that Poly worked so well for you, that my next piece, a walnut vase, will use an oil based poly. First time I'll be using poly in some time, and the last time I used it was on a model ship, so an entirely different kind of object. I also picked up some polycrylic and spar urethane to try out as well.
My brother, who also turns, showed me a vase he was working on where he used your classic General Finishes Wood Bowl Finish (which I think used to be called Salad Bowl Finish). It had exactly the kind of glass-like glossy finish I was looking for. He is an absolute master sander, and his sanded-only surfaces are incredible, so I suspect that had something to do with it. I am turning a couple of small pieces in the interim here and am giving the wood bowl finish a try with his techniques. So far, I'm surprised, but the third coat on this current item is actually shining up nicely, and I think after a couple more, it should have a pretty darn good shine on it. Its red elm, so the grain just doesn't sand down to as nice a finish as the vase my brother made, so it may not end up with that glass-like shine. Still, I'm amazed at what some drying oil can do when used right!