I'd imagine it would be a series of sanding and polishing procedures. The trick of course would be finding the correct level of abrasive to use at each step to remove only the coating and not the underlying metal.
I'd have to look up the cerakote process to be sure but I think it is a surface coating and should thus be removable.
If you get into something like a nitride treatment, that is a process that chemically alters the surface of the metal and thus would be difficult or perhaps impossible to remove without removing some of the underlying material and altering the dimensions even if only by a small amount.
For cerakote I'd imagine it would start with a light sanding of a moderate abrasive followed by more aggressive sanding with less aggressive abrasive followed by a less aggressive abrasive and less agessive sanding and then repeat with polish materials such as Flitz.
If you are limited to a single sandpaper and a single polishing compound it might still be possible but would take longer.
Note that while I have used files and sandpaper and polish compound on a number of objects including some firearms, I have never worked with cerakote, either applying or removing, so I could be way off.

 

Might have been me. I just did it to my compact. But it had the factory coating, not an aftermarket coating. I did it because there were some scratches on the slide. I got the scratches out, but the finish was compromised. I will eventually need to get it coated again. Having no coating gives you no protection from rust/the elements. It makes keeping it clean a chore. Gets covered in fingerprints pretty quickly. Does look pretty cool though.

 

Mine was stripped down on my bench grinder that's got a wire wheel attachment and a buffing wheel. The buffing wheel at grinder level speeds will remove the factory finish in a single pass. Burns it right off.

 

Mine was stripped down on my bench grinder that's got a wire wheel attachment and a buffing wheel. The buffing wheel at grinder level speeds will remove the factory finish in a single pass. Burns it right off.

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That looks great! I might have to try that sometime.

 

I'm courious...Why would you Cerakote a gun then decide to remove it?

If this a dipped and baked process, your gonna have living hell getting it out all of those nooks and crannies, let alone the hidden ones.

 

Not sure if the question is for me or the Op. If its for me.. I bought this thing coated. And scratched up pretty bad. Rehab so to speak.

 

Abrasive blasting will remove coatings and give you an even look. Sand blasting, but use aluminum oxide not play sand...the silica will give you lung cancer. In my shop I have a big blast cabinet with 80grit aluminum oxide for removing coatings, restoring metal and preping the surface.