Silvan wrote:

Also, someone asked this several years ago, and never got an answer. I'll
repeat the question. What color should this be painted?

I don't think I ever posted an update.

For anyone who cares...

After quite a lot of effort to get the thing worked free, it's now as silky
smooth as any other vise in my shop. The effort of working the screw back
and forth so many times has actually polished the screw silver again.
There's some pitting to be sure, but I don't think it's going to keep me
from getting many years of service out of the vise.

The color question has been answered... It's not really warm enough to
paint anyway, and I want to get it into service, so I just waxed it as is.
It pretty much looks like slightly rusty cast iron covered with dull, hazy
wax. I think it's somehow fitting that it looks really old, since it
almost certainly is.

Now all I have to do is figure out how to get the bolts out. There are two
threaded metal plates that fit inside a slot in the fixed jaw. I can't
coax the plates out without removing the bolts, and they're broken off in
such a fashion that it's going to be a real bitch to get them out. If I
could weld, I'd tack a piece of rod to the end, but I can't, so I'm going
to have to come up with something else. Or cave in and take the thing to
work and get my boss to do it.


--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/