Here's a photo of the stuff I use for paint stripping. It's strong enough that I wear gloves, and I have pretty tough skin. You apply, let it sit for 15 minutes or more and then wash off with soap. That usually suffices for large smooth surfaces. Repeated smaller applications are often necessary.
The next photo is my cleaning tool set. The toothbrush is essential for getting into corners and under things like handrails. My old King Kut knife (red knob) helps in corners where it's not likely to leave visible scratches. The bamboo toothpick and Exacto knife are good for making custom scrapers for scraping around handrail posts, corners and other details. The photo below shows the toothpick turned into a 1/32 thick scraper. The bamboo is great for stiffness
My final step is sanding. I use several grits from coarse to fine in succession finishing with 3000 Emery paper. I'll leave a coarser finish in hard or reach places that aren't likely to affect the overall appearance. Many minor defects that I can see at six inches won't affect the appearance of the final paint job from two feet away. The first roof photo is finished with the 3000 emery paper. There are a few dents that I'll use to experiment with Bondo. The underside of the roof I shows the scratches from 600 grit paper.
The last two photos show that I've left some roughness in places that are almost impossible to do finely. I don't think they'll be noticeable after I've shined the brass handrail post and put the handrails back.
