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its probably some sort of prehistoric filler like your thinking, if it was something that they coated the mold with it would of burned off from the heat of the cast iron.
you have a picture of it?
dallen, proud to be a member of MetalworkingFun Forum since Apr 2012.
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I'll try and get a picture of it Dave. Filler was my first thought but it was inside cavities at the back of the apron, no reason to fill there, it wasn't visible or even painted.
It scrapes off as a dust, leaves a shiny surface and leaves your finger black when you rub it, just like a soft lead pencil. If its some sort of graphite mixture maybe it would the the heat.
Thanks
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Greg
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may be graphite from whoever had the shaper first cutting a lot of cast iron on it, or they may of been profiling EDM electrodes with it, which the ones I've seen look like graphite.
dallen, proud to be a member of MetalworkingFun Forum since Apr 2012.
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Got a photo of the layer in question Dave. Wouldn't have been from using the machine, its under the paint. I've scraped away a good bit of it here.
Free advice is worth exactly what you payed for it.
Greg