Auto body repair & detailing: spot paint prep, custom painters, rust spots

Question
I have an '86 Toyota pickup with a few rust spots on the bed. I want to spot (design)paint different color. How do I sand and mask or mask and sand a straight line. Or is sanding along paint line necessary. I see design painters at motorcycle meets that wipe the area (with what I don't know) and paint the design. It seems to hold up just fine. Thanks for the help.

Answer
Hi Dudley,

You will need to sand the area to be painted for the paint to stick. Usually custom painters will use a grease and wax remover on the area to be painted and then they will use striping and lettering paint to paint the design. However, I recommend sanding the whole panel with 1000-1500 grit wet or dry sand-paper and then putting the design on and clear-coating the whole panel. That way you have little chance of your artwork peeling back off. I hope this helps out.

Gary