Okay, here's what I do. First off, I thin the poly. Maybe, about five
percent. The stuff is barely thicker than water, with the thinner. (I
swear, one of this days I'm going to try dipping a small project, rather
than brushing it on.)

Don't laugh, I've done this recently with knobs. Dip, let them drip, then
slowly rotate them to distribute any excess (less than a drip) around the
knob.