[Alan Wheeler]

Avoid caustic paint strippers.
It is possible the mast was powder coated, which I don't believe paint stripper will touch. You will soon know, it'll either work or not.
Once you have stripped, you need to thoroughly clean away any corrosion and wash the ally with a pre-paint wash/degreaser. Then you etch prime, followed by a paint system. I suggest a two pot because it is hard wearing. I have not used, but have heard about a product called Nyallic (spell?).

Anodizing is specialised. It requires the mast to be dropped in a tank of acid and an electric current passed through with the tank being the cathode and the alloy being the Anode, Hence anodizing. The ally corrodes and builds up an oxide layer, with the thickness determined by current and time applied. After the thickness of the layer has been achieved, the ally is then dyed with a colour. The oxide layer is a series of open pores. Once the colour is taken in, the ally is dipped in boiling water. Boiling closes the pores and the colour is locked in. The resulting coating is hard wearing and protects the metal below from corrosion. I anodize all my own small ally parts I make. It's a lot of fun, except I don't do the dyeing as the chemicals are usually heavy metals and very toxic.