[rotorwrench]

In the modern era, there is still at least one motorcycle manufacturer that paints on the pinstripes. Harley Davidson has special guide tools that fit each tin and fuel tank to act as a steady for the striper to rest a hand against while drawing the brush around the edge or area to be accented. They work very well to insure continuity of the design for multiple daily applications of paint. A lot of pinstripers use a steady rest of one form or the other at different times to insure a good job. They can be specially designed or as simple as a broom stick with a rubber ball on each end. Magnetic strips can be used but a person has to careful not to damage the base.

There is nothing wrong with using tape & painting over it but it can be risky if the tape isn't securely set down on it's edges. Thinned paint likes to bleed underneath and can ruin a job. I always make sure I have a brand new tape roll fresh out of the multi roll pack. I use a plastic bag to carry the individual roll around to prevent dirt from getting on the edges. If I accidentally drop it on the floor, I get another new roll from the pack and use the dropped one for taping something else. Tape is cheap compared to the work it takes to correct some things. I make sure and pull striping tape off before the paint starts to set up or it will have a square edge. If a person clear coats over it all after completion of the base then most ills can be corrected before the clear goes on.