David Weaver
I was thinking less about hand durability and more about water or alcohol, but you're right, it's pretty much irrelevant in the context of a pencil. If it lasts long enough for either of those to be an issue in anything other than drawing tickmarks in a liquor drinking contest (I don't drink), I should be ashamed.

Putting the shellac on is pleasant, too. Cashew is more of a fight.

Trying french polishing has yielded a very useful offshoot for me - the benefits of mineral or paraffin oil with shellac - even without the other parts of the process. One can apply shellac to something like this pencil without the stickiness of the finish being an issue either as far as halting the application process or making the pencil itself susceptible to light handling during the process.