Wooden beam remove paint in cracks

[rosieneedshelp]

I am trying to remove white paint from wooden beams (sanding and paint stripper) but there are so many cracks in the wood that I just can't get the paint out of. Any ideas?

I could use epoxy but I think I would end up filling a large amount of the beam as it is covered in cracks.

Could I just stain straight over it or will the white still show through?

 

[Wayners]

Beam cleaning
Sandblasting heavily painted beams works a treat