Fender metal prep

[General23cmp]

Finally found a decent fender for my restoration. Real paint/body work is several months away (and I'm not the guy to do it), but I really need to take this fender down to bare metal and hit with rattlecan primer to save it until then. The front side has about 4 layers of thick paint peeling off with rust patches. The backside is mostly surface rust. What would you recommend to take it down to clean, smooth metal? I'm not a body guy and don't want to ruin it by using the wrong medium. I have a wire wheel on a drill and of course, sandpaper. Are those too aggressive? I know they make paint stripper that would probably do well, but don't mind elbow grease. Help...