If you really want to do some bugs you should wrap your bars in silk tape, then shellac it.
I think the shellac feels better than varnish to the fingers. Kind of hard to quantify that one. I used to use it as a primer when I was a painter (the artist kind).
That denatured alcohol is hard stuff to beat. I'm not sure what the environmental consequences are but I know it gives me a screaming headache. Still, it's better than anything other than virgin acetone (which is getting pretty hard to find).