2 choices for cheap yet works paint stripper, spray oven cleaner, or homebrew dry lye (drain cleaner) and cornstarch, the cornstarch is a thickener so it clings to vertical surfaces. My bulk recipe is 4 gallons of water, 1 pound of lye, and 2 lbs of cornstarch, MUST use skin and eye protection, and no children or pets allowed near it. For a 10EE you can probably use a 1/4 of that recipe, best used while still hot.
A needle scaler can be used without denting the metal IF the tips are well rounded from use, and you regulate pressure. I can remove, layer by layer, 2 coats of paint, 1/4" thick layer of drywall compound, another layer of paint, and stop at original layer of calcamine paint, on a concrete wall, and still see pencil drawings from the original contractors.