Not at all. As it turns out, Fletch shows it is wood, not metal so makes even more sense. The ring of wedges was covered with canvas so painting the wooden ring a canvas color would show it nicely against the color of the surrounding wood and not have to worry about making a series of wedges. Leaving as wood still looks nice. Even some contemporary models do not always put on a faux canvas cover or make the ring with wedges.
Allan
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