My question is it better to leave it with a bad silver paint job or strip it and make it black.

Wow that is a beauty!  I don't know what is better but if it was mine it would get painted by someone better qualified than myself
and I would have the brass around the vials polished.
There is a similar one on Ebay priced at $95.  I did a little research on Davis levels but did not find any painted silver.

That appears to be an uncommon level. I looked through Rosebrook's level book and didn't find anything like it under the Davis levels. Nothing in the Tool Archives catalogs either.

The offset level vial is uncommon and you wonder what the holes in the center are for.

Keep it safe and don't let it get chipped.

Mike

Hello, oldgoaly. Nice level!! How do you view the level vial? Thanks, Lou

Don't know what the holes  the inside of the large one is smooth like it was for holding with one finger? The vials.... big one is broke, small one is good. To see them hold your head at an angle stick you tongue out to the side  and wiggle your ears. They are not easy to see! Especially for people like me that are a half a bubble off.This is another of the wife's  "is this level worth anything it was in with  some other stuff in a box at an auction."
oops forgot the webpage that showed this level.
https://www.davistownmuseum.org/bioDavis.htm

Hello,oldgoaly. I clicked on the link, but I didn't see your level. Thanks, Lou

Yep, it's bigger than it looks! it's 16" long, not 12"

OG, the level that is shown on the Davistown Museum site is an inclinometer type, which is actually a fairly common level. Yours is not common. It's too bad it's broken but stuff happens.

I've reached out to one guy to see what he knows and I have another one I'm going to ask.

Don't leave your wife at home, she has a good eye!

Mike

Somewhere in my workshop are level vials, found them in an auction box 30+ years ago. Fixed one level 20-25 years ago. I have an idea where in the shop, now can I reach them with these bad shoulders?
I'm thinking it would look cool with the Barnes 4 1/2 lather along with the other goodies from back when they were new.

I do believe you have a Davis/Robinson that someone has cut off shorter for some reason we will never know.

Ouch!! Good research, papadan!!!

Are you thinking it was a 24" some of the pattern in the casting is repeated?I'll have to take a close look at the ends, should be able to tell if it was cut off.

Did some online searching and annotated a pic, now to get the magnifying glass to look for saw to file marks.

This is another picture of a Davis Robinson. Regards, Lou

It is cut off, damn thought it would look good with my Barnes treadle lathe.