Those finishes were preferred by manufacturers because they dry in minutes, making it possible to apply several coats in a day. Other finishes, such as varnish or oil, may look similar to the casual eye, but purists reject those as un-authentic. In the spirit of learning, however, I ordered some Mohawk lacquer spray products from Antique Electronic Supply . To my delight, the lacquer was easy to apply, and the final result looks great. Spraying requires more setup than other means of applying finish.
Ventilation is very important.
If you can't work outdoors, then you should set up an exhaust fan to remove the fumes as you work. If you set up outdoors, the location must be sheltered from wind, in a spot where dirt and dust won't fall on the object, and out of direct sunlight. Since I did this project in the summertime, our carport provided an ideal sheltered location. I set the cabinet on a large cardboard box covered with newspapers, out in the middle of the carport, an arrangement that allowed me to move around all sides of the cabinet as I worked. The first step was to spray on a couple of coats of Mohawk sanding sealer, sanding very lightly in between coats.