Good test. I never paint my track until it's down in place and wired. That way all my drops and joiners are painted too. I use Rustoleum camo brown and do about two to three feet at a time and clean the tops with a small block of soft pine before it dries. Soooo much faster and easier!
Great comparison, Steve. Thanks for doing the test. I’m curious if the chapstick or the Vaseline would have allowed you to skip the step where you used the metal putty knife, which could cause scratching of the rail, and let you go right to the use of the masonite to remove the paint.
Derek, metal on metal is called "burnishing" and is a method of actually polishing the rails. The knife simply peels the paint off as was event if looking closely you can see the build-up. coming off.
