re-painting

[Jeffco]

Can someone offer advise on re-painting a long ez.  I am mostly talking about getting the a/c ready for painting.  Just wondering, since I have to sand off the old finish, what grit of sandpaper I should use, can I use an electric sander (vibration type, not belt) and how far down to I have to go.  I have seen excellent articles on the actual painting process, but not much on removing old paint.  Any back issues of Central States deal with this ?

[Anonymous]

There are several builders that have used fine-grit sandblasting or soda
blasting to remove the old paint. Even some of the Cozy builders have
used sandblasting on their new projects to prepare the glass for filling.
It does not damage the glass but roughens it for adhesion.

With sandpaper you have to be very careful about getting into the glass.
You want to remove the paint yet leave the glass almost untouched. I've
also heard of builders using razor blades. Both of these are going to take
a long time.

I bet if you searched the CA Archive it would turn up a few messages.