I'm going to make a guess that the color has to do with the age of the product. I've noticed that varnish in the can sometimes gets darker after a few weeks or months. I understand that the chemicals in any paint will age in the can, and some people think that the newer the product the more protection it will provide. In fact, some think that the quality of product depends less on the brand of paint or varnish than it does on how long it has been sitting on the paint store shelf.

> Hi- Varnish question!: I recently bought a new can of Z-Spar's Captain's
> Varnish (1015) to continue my varnishing job. (I've finished a CLC North
> Bay and it looks great.) Am hoping to improve on the poor initial coats
> with better technique this time. In any case, this new can of varnish is a
> different color than the nice honey brown/yellow color of the original can
> I used. Is this normal? It's the same brand and everything, but the new
> color is much lighter, looks slightly pink if you can believe it. Not a
> bit deal, but I've got both cans side by side and there is an obvious
> color difference - do varnishes of the same brand vary so much in color?
> Is something wrong with my new can? (It is taking a bit longer to dry than
> the original can - the only difference I've noticed so far.)

> Thanks! - Jim