for stripping paint I always use aircraft paint remover , works great even on powder coat
I use an orbital sander
for aluminum I start with wet 220 to 600
after 600 I start with wheels - sisal with emery down to loose with white
if you are going to plate you can now clean with some degreaser (I use CASTROL SUPER CLEAN or FORMULA 88 ) and proceed to plating steps
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