Stripping paint out of a engine block?

I'm in the process of tearing down my short block to clean and relubricate the rotating assembly. The block was completely painted inside and out by the previous owner. Well, I get everything out and noticed there are some spots where the coating is chipping off on the bottom end of the vally. I don't really feel comfortable running it with loose paint inside the block so i want to strip it all out. Question is, what is the best way to go about doing this without damaging the machined surfaces or the cam bearings for that matter? I'm thinking ether soda blasting or aircraft stripper. The aircraft stripper would be cheaper and a whole lot messier, but do i run a greater risk damaging the machine surfaces with a soda blast? What do you guys think? Any other alternatives?