Yellowing

[Matt P]

I see a lot of folks are fond of Waterlox, Arm-R-Seal finishes. I used BLO on a maple project 10 years ago, and now the finish is definitely yellowed/ambered a lot. Not so pretty. Does anyone know the long-term yellowing, if any, of the Waterlox, Arm-R-Seal? That's why I may stick with shellac.
Thanks,
Matt

[Steve Schoene]

Waterlox is based on tung oil, which yellows a bit less than linseed oil, but its resin is phenolic which yellows considerably, and more than alkyd resin varnishes. Shellac does show very little color change over time--much less than any of the oil based finishes. Waterborne acrylic finishes don't yellow either.

But, be aware that sometimes what you think is varnish yellowing may really the wood itself changing color.

[Matt P]

Thank you - I was just curious because the Arm-R-Seal and Waterlox, etc.. are the rage it seems, and I wondered if anyone has observed the long-term (10+ years) look of them.