Best way to strip paint from stairs/handrail?

[HamCob]

Our stairs are looking scruffy. The paint is chipped and needs redoing.
We have a 1920s house with a wooden staircase, carpet runner and spindles/handrail.
I've started to sand off some of the old paint and I've noticed there doesn't seem to be many layers of paint. I've reached the wood quite easily.
I'm now thinking of stripping back just the handrail to the wood and painting the rest.

Sanding will get me so far but how do you do the hard to reach bits? Has anyone tried peelaway?

Have you tried Zinnser bin primer? It’s a weird consistency and not fun to use as it takes a while and dries quickly but it covered my dark wood, I used white gloss to finish. It’s very good stuff.

Just sand down and repaint, old paint is a good key for the new coat.

2 years later only one chip, child hit a spindle with a toy. It would be easy to touch up.

I'm sorry,I've just re read your post properly

Heat gun?

I'll have a look at the primer - thanks

Yes I do have a heat gun so I might try that first on the fiddly bits!