Something different in bolster, anyone also found?

Found this in the front bolster of a 50 model M. Pretty nice made cast star. Only thing I can think of is someone playing around at the foundry. Any ideas or anything like it found by posters.

is it stainless? a place I used to work had a deburring tumbler that used similar items to deburr parts I am sure if its the front bolster it would have been a huge tumbler!

Looks to be the same cast metal as the bolster.

I"m pretty sure those have been found before. I seem to remember seeing a post about them before and they were used at the factory for cleaning out the castings. Sam

It"s a "casting star" used in a process where the new castings are tumbled in large "barrels" along with a quantity of these stars to knock adhered sand off the cast parts..

Quote from a book on foundry work, dated 1915:

"37.

All types of tumbling barrels are charged with a few hundred pounds of small {star shaped white iron castings commonly called stars} or broken pieces of white iron sprues which aid in cleaning the surfaces of the castings. The castings are put in on top of these stars until the barrels are about half full. When they are securely closed the barrels are set in motion and the castings tumbled until they are clean. The average time required to clean the castings is 10 minutes though it sometimes takes a whole day by the ease with which the cleaning is done the operator may know whether or not the iron has been overheated in the furnace and burned The object of tumbling as stated above is to remove the molding sand that adheres to the castings after the molds are shaken out. If the molds are shaken out when the castings are still hot the sand is frequently burned on so strongly that the subsequent rolling does not remove it but leaves a polished enamel of sand on the casting. This coating is due to the oxidation of the iron in the air while red hot and the formation of a silicate of iron with the sand which is really a slag,

Pretty wild.

I would not have thought of a part that size being tumbled. I figured they would use a shot blaster.

I'm guessing it was hidden in the bottom part? Amazing it's still there after X number of years farming.

Thanks guys, learned something.