A friend of mine once finished a bow with super glue (the cheap, runny stuff). It was not easy to apply, but it worked out fine. Seemed to create a really durable and hard surface.
He used a plastic bag wrapped around his fingers to keep the glue from sticking to him. A latex glove might work better. He squeezed a lot of glue onto the wood and quickly rubbed it in. As soon as the glue becomes tacky, you have to stop rubbing, or it won't dry to form a smooth surface. Once the glue was dry, it actually looked horrible. The surface was patchy and chalky; not fully transparent. The trick was to polish the superglue once it had thoroughly dried. He used a bundle of wood shavings to vigorously rub the surface and give it a nice shine.