Cheers Bryan. It's not so much the pulling up of the tape I am concerned with, but the degradation of the surface of the tape, either via abrasive or chemical action, causing the gold to dull and take on a matt finish. Like you, I don't dawdle over the stripes, but do like to see the paint polished right up to the tape edge. I sometimes feel as though I am doing sloppy or careless work when I glide the buffer over the stripes, but avoiding them and still doing a decent job seems nearly impossible. I suppose hand buffing would provide more control, and I actually prefer it, but decades of service as a millwright has left my hands and wrists laden with arthritis, and hand buffing even a small car is more than I like to endure. If I ever paint my car (something I'm not sure I would ever do, now) I will re-do the pinstripes with paint rather than tape.
Not actually looking for an answer here, just thinking out loud about my concerns, but if it invites discussion, all the better.
