Stripping paint from ply vans

[santa28a]

HELP!!!!!
I need some info on stripping paint from plywood. I have been able to get all the paint off the front of the van with a scraper as it was very flakey, but the sides are giving me hell.
I have tried a) a sanding disc, b) a heavy duty cup-type wire brush on an angle grinder and c) a lighter duty cup-type wire brush on an angle grinder all of which I have used in the past on metal body panels, chassis, etc with no problems. Now to the current situation
ALL of the above methods remove the paint no worries, BUT because the ply underneath is softwood it is digging into the Ply. I have tried to be gentle with it but then it deosn,t remove the paint. I tried paint stripper on the window frames and it seemed to soften the timber so I did not want to use it on the sides of the van. The paint stripper worked great on the inside on the cupboard doors etc.
Has anyone used a Heatgun on old paint i.e enamel, or are heatguns designed to work with modern acrylic paints
or if I was to use a blowtorch would I need to take the aluminium edging off first? All ideas greatfully accepted

Santa28a.

[Suzann and Matt (Schultzy)]

gday santa suzann and i stripped the paint on our teardrop with a heat gun and it worked a charm , the main thing to look out for is to not get the gun too close because it really heats up the surface and may ignite, also do it in a ventilated area as old oil based paints really stink ;D ;D good luck see you in a few weeks.

[retro1]

Well said that the paints stink. Most paint of the 1950's were lead based and are very toxic. Jazhow stripped his 1948 van and became ill from the fumes. Always use a resporator not just a dust mask to be on the safe side. Would love to see some pics of your progress
cheers
retro1

[Suzann and Matt (Schultzy)]

If you go to Members photo album and have a look at Suzann and Matts new trardrop you will see what the gun will do. It was very smoooooth and did not require any sanding, event where the paint was cracked.
Suzann