I picked this up at a local FM yesterday.  It was covered in rust but the jaws looked like new and the fixed jaw had never been used as a hammer, or hammered upon.  So I figured for 4 bucks it was worth a gamble.  As you can see it cleaned up OK.  Actually looks better than the pictures.  This one was made between 1929 and 1939 after Bemis & Call had bought Coes.

The strange thing is that the scales on the handle were painted black.  Paint is flaking off as you can see.  This looks like a factory paint job, which I have never seen on Coes wrenches before, or anybody else's for that matter.  I make this deduction since there is no over spray or black paint on any of the surrounding metal.  Also the rivets aren't painted.  Looks like the scales were painted first and then put on the wrench.

Anybody ever run across painted scales on any of their monkey wrenches?

Mike

Nice wrench for 4 bucks! Dont know any thing about painted handle scales.

I have (somewhere) a smaller pipe wrench with a black painted handle.  Can't remember the manufacturer.

Branson,  You are right about the pipe wrenches.  I have a couple 6 in. Stillson's that were made by Walworth that have the black handles.  And an 8 in. with a red handle, although it may have been repainted.

Mike