dgi country oil application tricks

Hi,
I've been using a urethane based product called DGI Country Oil for years...its very tough and if you persist with it you can get a pretty smooth finish. They recommend two seperate coats with a brush and application of the third coat using 0000 steel wool or 1200 grade wet and dry which is then immediately wiped off.

What fascinates me is the very brief time, approx 10 seconds where you can rub it on and then wipe it off...and achieve a nice, rubbed, gloss finish. If however, you miss a bit and decide to wipe over it again, the thin urethane has started to harden and you get a matt, smeary, waxy finish.

If I'm working on a largish panel, I end up successfully wiping half of it off with the gloss finish but invariably, some of the oil has already started to dry..so the urethane catches on the cloth and smears as you try and rub it orf.

I know I can use wax or shellac for a nice rubbed finish but I'm trying to get a tough surface that can handle coffee cups etc etc. Should I use some sort of thinners with the DGI Oil to get an extended drying time...any other suggestions???:~