that they are painted on. Only having the one example, I am reluctant to scrape at the insert, but have no real issue with you doing so with yours.

If paint (or some sort of dye/stain) was used, then I would suspect that the colorization would really be evident on the edge of the chip. However, when you view the end, the insert color has that hour-glass shape, a manufacturing artifact present on many inserts, even with modern day chips.

When I get home, (later today) I will scan this chip on edge and you will see what I mean. But for all intent and purposes, under visual examination, this chip (and I imagine others like it) appears to be constructed with inserts that under the heat and pressure of the molding process 'flowed' into the surrounding material.

Do we know of other examples? Particularly from other manufacturers?

Jim