Protective finish for weathered wood that doesn't discolor?

[camp10]

I have some old greyed barn wood that I'm turning into shelves.  I'd like to put some sort of protective finish on them.  I tried danish oil on a test board, but that left the wood much darker.  

Any sort of finish (wax? shellac? poly?) that wouldn't discolor the wood?

[BaileyNo5]

I have some old greyed barn wood that I'm turning into shelves.  I'd like to put some sort of protective finish on them.  I tried danish oil on a test board, but that left the wood much darker.  

Any sort of finish (wax? shellac? poly?) that wouldn't discolor the wood?

You could try a water-based varnish - be sure you do it on a test piece, as I have not tried it on naturally weathered wood.

I have applied both water-based and oil-based varnishes on wood that I have artificially weathered. The oil-based varnishes always darken the wood. The water-based finish that I used was a General Finishes varnish, glossy (although after one coat it did not look glossy). It did not darken the wood at all.

[jteneyck]

Matte or flat WB acrylic or poly/acrylic blends like GF's HP Poly won't change the color. 

John

[jcredding]

I have some old greyed barn wood that I'm turning into shelves.  I'd like to put some sort of protective finish on them.  I tried danish oil on a test board, but that left the wood much darker.  

Any sort of finish (wax? shellac? poly?) that wouldn't discolor the wood?

How about some untinted base paint?  I use it on outdoor projects regularly and while there may be a slight yellowing (in white oak), I've not found it noticeable in a way that detracts at all.  No reason it couldn't work similarly in your application.