Thread: Red Imp 133 in Bocote

A little while ago I got my hands on a Red Imp 133 made by Case. The blade itself was in pretty wonderful condition but it came with a generic set of plastic scales. I loved the razor but hated how it looked. It's something I've done when I've had 10 or 20 minutes here and there.

The scales are made of bocote with a CA finish, a brass wedge made out of an old house key, brass pins and brass collars.

I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. Even though the blade could have used some minor restoration I decided to just leave it as it was. Strangely enough, the original plan was to actually use cocobolo with nickel to keep in line with the red imp aesthetic, but when I was gifted some very nice looking bocote I decided pretty quickly that wanted to instead use it for this razor.

beautiful scales. the finish looks smooth and satiny. wish i had the knowledge and patience to make wood scales like that. love the brass key as wedge, i may need 'borrow' that idea. well done.

It's a beauty now!!

Thanks! I love the CA finishes when they are done, but getting them done in the first place can be incredibly painful. Still on the lookout for a finish that is beautiful, foolproof to apply, fast to do, durable, and good for the exotic and oily woods.

Originally Posted by ppetresen

Thanks! I love the CA finishes when they are done, but getting them done in the first place can be incredibly painful. Still on the lookout for a finish that is beautiful, foolproof to apply, fast to do, durable, and good for the exotic and oily woods.

Look into Minwax, polycrylic finishes.
Their a water based finish, and cure well with oily woods, should you want it finished.

Excellent!
I bet you got a laser edge on it too.

Now that's a classy look! I like the hardware too.
Hard to keep all the little ideas in mind when walking through the flea market, saw a bunch of old keys last week, I'll have to go see if they are still available.
Thanks for sharing!

That's a great idea and beautiful execution. I collect random scraps of this or that for wedges in my wedge drawer out in the shop; got a couple of brass keys just waiting for the right project-thanks for the inspiration!

Thanks everyone! It really does take a great edge -- I'm a mediocre honer at best and if I can get it popping hairs that says something. It's funny, I also have a Red Imp 132, also by Case, but unlike this one it is a razor I've really struggled to get sharp. I'm not sure if it's because it's smaller (9/16 compared to this which is on the large side of 5/8) or if it's simply because of the wedge grind, but I've only recently gotten it to the point where it'll even give an ok shave.

That one, my 132, still has the original scales on it with the cool red imp logo on it, but they are so shrunken and twisted that I'll have to replace those scales at some point too when I find some more drive. If I find some more nice bocote I might try to do a complimentary set -- not matching exactly, but similar enough that you could tell the blades are cousins.

I'll look into the Minwax polycrylic finish, thanks!

I find old American made razors to be either hard or abrasive resistant, but they seem to take a lot of laps to refine.