Here’s my latest bench vise before & after. At some point in its life someone took a can of horrid silver spray paint and really worked it over.  I repainted it with proper heavy duty enamel. The color, mixed by a local ma & pa hardware store, is industrial yet happy .

The vise was made in Erie Pennsylvania sometime after August 16, 1938.

Thats the date its patent, number 2,127,008 was issued.

The patent is for the pin that holds the main nut in position. The pin differs from those in other models of bench vises in that its tapped to accept a small screw. After being tapped it was slotted and the slot was sprung open just a bit so that when the screw is turned its under tension and wont come out of adjustment. When adjusted properly the screw is turned until it touches the main nut. The fit between the main nut and the body of the vise is prone to develop play over time and if it does you simply tighten the screw a bit.