Good news everyone! I fashioned a rag on a stick to help move some of the chunkier scale towards the hole, while wiping I noticed that most of the scale around the edges was just wiping off. It looks like the greatest damage was done while it was sitting for a year. So once the big chunks are gone I should be ready for a standard de-scale without too much stress.
Posted by: mycuppa: Most I've found deployed in cafes have a tendency to run very hot - so once you are done cleaning, suggest you look at settings.
When the time comes that it isn't a scale repository, I may hit you up for advice.
