Yep, pretty much exactly that. Nitromors to bubble all the paint up, a lot of sandpaper and elbow grease to get it off, work from rough grade to 400-600 grit, wire wool buffs it back up to shine ready to be polished.

I ended up using wire brush attachments in a power drill to get into the tight spots and the welds as sandpaper (or even foam blocks) just wasn't pliable enough to really get in deep.

It's an exercise in perseverance, at first it really didn't seem like I was getting anywhere but stick at it, tackle it section at a time and don't expect to have it all done in a day and eventually you'll start seeing results which'll keep you going.

 I think I just did a little sex wee...

 Looks like the result of a stealth bomber, a DH mountain bike, a bottle of tequila and a condom with a hole in the end.

 Got to be POD, makes all the other pictures taken in the same place look tame.

 That's a 2009 EX9, no tapered headtube, no DRCV shock, no QR15 forks. Just a head's up.

 To all the kids saying XC is for "old people" or "not as intense"... Look up some old early 90's DH videos and the bikes they were using then.

 That is EXACTLY how I want my Devinci to look when I get it raw'd. Absolutely gorgeous mate.

 Sorry mate, already sold pending payment for asking price.