Quote: I'm glad to know I'm not alone with the fingernail test, but sad to hear others are having the same issue (!).
I can still scratch the cheap stuff off fairly easily with my fingernail (digging in then pulling down), the industrial so far has been tougher but I can still do it.
There's probably still time for it to dry and harden more, but in any case I think it's unusual to have a sharp object dig in and scrape down, so I feel good (especially with the price) about painting a weekend cruiser car with it.
i can honestly say that the paint probally would have scratched off on my cars too. i noticed when i was assembling the 74 beetle about a week after painting that the paint would "dent", like when i was putting on the engine cover handle, and the handle was crooked, so i unbolted it and noticed that it left a dent, and the paint was really soft. you can barley see it now, i had to move the handle and rebolt it. but, i never tried to "scratch" it since i was not painting a test peice. i could see that it would scratch off eaisly in the first month or so, but now, honestly no matter how hard i try there is no way i could even put a hairline scratch in the paint with my nail. i honestly think that the rustoleum will dry the same as tremclad, i'd even be willing to put a wager! lol. it takes time for the paint to fully dry, and temperature plays a big role also, the colder, the longer it will take. even with modern paint jobs, your not supposed to wax even until like 3 months. and that stuff also remains soft. like when i shoot single stage, it also takes alot of time to dry.
