Might want to double check if that was a one time glitch or a pattern, since $200 is steep for a tool that can't manage the basics. Scheduling conflicts are a pretty big red flag for something meant to save you headaches. You tried reaching out to their support team to see if they'll make it right?

That lighter fluid is sneaky stuff man. I did the same thing on a Minolta SRT-101 last year, used a q-tip with maybe one drop too much and it wicked all the way down into the prism housing. Took me three full days to disassemble the whole top plate and clean it out with alcohol wipes. The mirror box on those old Pentaxes is like a sponge for that fluid once it gets past the baffles.

Oh I actually just read a great tip about this on a woodworking blog the other day (not that I spend all my free time reading wood blogs, but you know how it goes). They were saying that if you're really trying to save money on a project like this, you can sometimes find free sample jars of wood finish at hardware stores if you just ask nicely. Some places give them out for color testing, and you can get enough for a small project. Also, plain white vinegar mixed with steel wool can make a decent DIY wood stain if you let it sit for a week or two. But yeah, your point stands - the glue is the tricky part since you really shouldn't cheap out on that stuff, especially if the handles are going to see any real use.