Non Yellowing Spar Varnish

[Its Me]

I am looking for a non yellowing or cetainly a less yellowing varnish than Captain's Z-Spar. The application is actually for a lamanent paddle that I made from cedar and purple heart and I just don't want a strong yellow tint on the purple heart. ny recomendations?

[Rick]

Interlux Goldspar Clear is supposed to be colorless... it's polyurethane varnish, so it'll be more abrasion-resistant than the traditional urethane types.

I'm using Defthane polyurethane varnish at the moment, and it has a yellow-amber color... so polyurethane doesn't necessarily mean colorless.

The two-part polyurethanes, which are the most durable of all, eg. Interlux Perfection, Endura clear, may also be colorless, but they're so expensive I haven't tried them, except as paint tinted to some color.

[Denis]

Perhaps a water based finish is what you are looking for. I have done white pine and red pine coffee tables in water based finishes and they stay pretty clear. The pine itself does amber a bit under the finish tho

Denis

[Rapt]

I've used water based polyurethane to finish paddles in a variety of woods. (Cherry, ash, hard maple) and maintain the original wood colour.

It doesn't have the yellow tint that most (all?) oil based polyurethanes, and spar varnishes have. But I don't believe its as effective a UV protectant either. So if you use it be sure to store your paddles indoors, and not leave them lying in the sun for days at a time.

Other than that it seems plenty durable.

[AlanWS]

The system three two-part polyurethane is extremely clear and colorless, but it has UV absorbers to protect epoxy:
http://www.systemthree.com/members/tds/ ... at_TDS.pdf
After several years on my canoe, there is no trace of yellowing even on the figured maple that would show it.

Sys 3 also has a spar varnish, but I have not used it, so I'm not sure whether it yellows much.