Thread: Morris Red Imp(my first restoration)

When I first recieved this razor from an ebay seller it looked a lot worse in person then it did in the ebay ad(go figure). I didnt take any before pictures because i didnt really plan on restoring it until after I had unpinned it and found myself sanding it with some 180 grit. I had no idea how much sanding I would eventually end up doing. I actually started about five months ago and just picked it up and sanded a little here and there whenever I thought about it. Like I said I started with 180 and worked my way up to 1500, Then hand polished it with MAAS. I polished the scales(also with Mass) and decided they needed some sanding. After sanding and repolishing them I decided they needed more sanding and did the whole thing again. Through all of this sanding and polishing I was very careful to preserve the Red Imp logo that was embossed on the scale so that I could repaint it. I pinned it up and everything was perfect. Then I noticed that the blade didnt want to center in the scale. So after doing a little research I decided to heat the scales with steam and give them a little tweak. BIG MISTAKE! The scales turned white and all these little white splinters apeared all over the embossed logo. The white polished off but the splinters remained white. I tried to figure out a way to keep it but I ended up sanding the logo off. Turns out I had bent one of my pins a bit(This is all new to me) and never had to try bending the scales in the first place. Lesson learned.Repinned it (blade centered fine) and for the final touch, a little red paint on the tang. Over all I'm very happy with the result and I think I have found myself a new hobby.

That looks fabulous !!....I like the fact you picked out the maker's tang stamp with red paint too.

Awesome job! Those little wedges are great! A Keeper, for certain.

Great work, I would say that looks NOS to me if you don't mind the missing logo. What type of paint did you use to redo the tang stamp?

Originally Posted by dhat

Great work, I would say that looks NOS to me if you don't mind the missing logo. What type of paint did you use to redo the tang stamp?

Thanks. I used some testors enamel. I just dabbed it on with a Qtip and wiped it off with a paper towel wraped tightly around my finger. It's I nice little trick that I use for repainting the numbers on Gillette adjustables.

You beat me to it!!! I have a Red Imp that I wanted to do something like this to! Anyway, it looks great man! I'll be posting mine in the future as well.

Don't feel too bad about the scales my friend. I think every Red Imp that Muskieman and myself have acquired had scales that just fell apart. They all have been very brittle. Look to the future and look at all the possible materials that you can use to fab a new set of scales to suite yourself. The blade is extremely nice so just give it some thought. You have done a very nice job!!

yup, redimp scales are notorious for warping, shrinking, and turning to dust.

thats your first restoration? Well I would like to give you a huge congrats on that because it looks perfect! unreal how much talent is on this forum. I LOVE SRP!!!!