At first the end of this side-crank for a Cinci horizontal mill appears to have a crack, however the apparent crack is only skin deep. The “skin” appears to be a completely separate outer layer of thin cast iron. Look at other areas and you can see this skin as well. Is this something applied by Cinci or their sub at time of casting, or does this represent a defect in the casting process? I assumed that the crank was cast iron but is it cast steel?