I recently inherited a 1994 Specialized Rockhopper Sport. After taking it to my LBS, I found that it's in sad, sad, sad shape so I figured that it would be my first solo project. I'm thinking of converting it into a commuter or touring bike.

Question of the day for said bike is: How do I remove the orange paint that someone slapped on the frame? There are brush strokes, drips, bubbles... In short, it looks awful. The orange paint looks like exterior trim paint that you would use on a house. It doesn't flake off too easily but there are spots where it has come off.

I'm not expecting to take off the orange and find a perfect, factory finish, but I would like to remove the orange and not do too much damage to the clear coat and original paint underneath (if possible).

Any ideas?

Thanks!