Masking out for stripes

Hi Guys, I'm after some advice on how to prevent the paint from building up along the edges of the tape or how to remove the small lip it forms once the tape is removed. Using the photo in the truck section for my Road Boss, it has 3 colours, For 2 colours, spray the first, mask up for the second, spray and then carefully remove the tape before the paint is fully dry to allow it to 'relax'? I normally mask for stripes by painting the whole thing in the stripe colour (to ensure the next colour is even) and then tape out the stripe. It seems easier than masking out both sides of a stripe. So, in the case of the Road Boss, silver base, mask for the silver stripe, gold coat and then mask for gold stripe then black top coat. This means the tape covering the silver will have a dry gold coat over it then the black. This is bound to leave a lip isn't it? Is there a way to prevent this short of removing the masking each time and replacing it? Is sanding it likely to catch and pull the top layer off? Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

whenever i mask a paint job there is always a lip however i also clear coat the finished paint work, before clear coating i give the paint a light rub down with wet and dry paper wich will take the sharp edges of the lip between colors then when the clear coat is applied it usually ends up as a smooth finish if not give another light rub and another coat of clear.

Thanks for that. What grade of wet & dry do you use and do you do it wet or dry?

I agree with DV8, thats about how i do it too,  i use 2000 grit on paint work,  and if its the clear coat, worn 2000 grit, and ALWAYS  use it wet.

yup always wet and the higher grade the better i use 2000 when i can get it but will settle for 1800

Thanks for that, I'll give it a go.

Those guys covered it!!

Forgot to add it earlier but have an old Peterbilt truck I want to wreckscue, is a caustic cleaner(oven or crystals) the best way to strip old paint?

Deaf as wrote:Forgot to add it earlier but have an old Peterbilt truck I want to wreckscue, is a caustic cleaner(oven or crystals) the best way to strip old paint?

I use caustic soda crystals myself and a stiff toothbrush, soak it in a bucket for a while, i don't think you can mix it too strong, but some one else might know what happens if you do, i have not had any problems though, some paint can be very stubborn, where you might need to do final clean-up with some wet/dry aswell.  
Good luck.

Cheers mate, I have a sacrificial cab that I can experiment with. Thanks for all your help.