re: Finish for knife handles

I would go one of two directions. Either a friction finish (shellac and oil, put on in very thin coats and buffed between coats) or buff on some wax and call it good. The three stage Beall Wood Buffer (now sold by Lee Valley) comes with two buffing compounds and a carnauba wax finish which would get you done fairly quickly. It sounds like you’ve buffed with the first two, so you may just need a hard wax finish. Just make sure to protect the blade and your hands.