Hi all -

New to the forum. Have a general question, with zero experience. I'm restoring a ca. 1920s wine/fruit press:
IMG_2592a.jpg

The entire thing is cast iron. And completely rust free. I know almost nothing about cast iron, so don't know if this is coated with something, or somehow passivated, but it's remarkably clean. However, iron contamination in wine, which was a thing back then (and is largely not now), is a real possibility if this press is used without somehow coating the iron before use. I'm looking into powder coating the base, which would involve some sort of abrasive blasting first, or cleaning up the metal and painting with a food safe enamel. I'm not sure, though, what the best way to do that is.

Is there a way to determine what, if anything, is on the surface of this iron? Does it need to be prepped at all before painting, should I go that way? What's the best way to do that? Is there a finishing schedule I should follow?

Thanks for any direction you may give. This is an over-winter project, so I'm not hurrying into anything, but want to do this correctly.

Thanks,
Scott
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