Hi,
In our garden we have an arch/pergola that the previous owners painted with water-based "preserver" only it was a funny colour. SWMBO asked me to creosote it to make it look prettier.
I had a go at sanding it with a 60 grit belt sander but I got impatient, so I switched to a flap disc in an angle grinder. That was much faster but, in places, it left marks, so I ended up going over it again with the belt sander.
It's still not quite back to the wood yet. What would you have done? Until I sat down to type this, I had not thought of chemical paint stripper or heat. Perhaps I should have given one of those a go?
Would the flap disc be your chosen tool? I guess if you have good technique you can hold it such that it doesn't scuff the wood but I need to work on that. Or would you take your time with a belt sander? Perhaps I should buy a 40 grit belt rather than a 60?
TIA