It helps t make thin strips of masking tape and cover the rivets, too. But you definitely have to "blend" once you remove the tape, so the profile goes up to the rivets without being too sharp. this is where the freehand works well, as Romain says, and where the nail file works, as Bill said. I like the flexible ones, they are very cool and usually have 4 grades: Coarse (very), light blue Medium, other side Fine Pink, Finer light pink. Bill's suggestion is excellent, i find a fresh file can be harsh.