Plug in the heating iron, and allow it to heat up completely.
Place the iron over a flat surface of wood that needs to be stripped.
Watch the iron as the heat penetrates through the paint and stain into the wood surface below.
Lift the iron every few seconds. If the paint below begins to bubble remove the iron. If it has not begun to bubble, replace the iron and wait a few more seconds. This process should only take a few minutes.
Scrape the bubbled paint off of the wood with a putty knife. It should remove without any force. The only paint that will be removed will be the area where the heating iron was placed.
Replace the iron on the wood surface and repeat step 2 to 5 until the entire surface of the wood has been stripped.
Scrub the small cracks and crevasses with a metal brush immediately after removing the heat iron.