133 red imp info?
- Thread starter radrick96
- Start date
I’m not sure who owned the trademark first, but these are my thoughts
-E. Morris used this trademark and marked the razors "Made in USA by Case" also made in Germany 1955-1962.
-Case made the razor from 1955-1962 same as Morris, “made in the USA”.
-Ludo Shear & Razor Works Germany, 1930-1971 used the the trade mark as well, but their razors are more rare.
-Lastly there is a hand forged variant made in Germany. Not sure of the dates on this one.
I’d say Case owned the trademarks for the 133, full hollow and the 132, wedge.
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-E. Morris used this trademark and marked the razors "Made in USA by Case" also made in Germany 1955-1962.
-Case made the razor from 1955-1962 same as Morris, “made in the USA”.
-Ludo Shear & Razor Works Germany, 1930-1971 used the the trade mark as well, but their razors are more rare.
-Lastly there is a hand forged variant made in Germany. Not sure of the dates on this one.
I’d say Case owned the trademarks for the 133, full hollow and the 132, wedge.
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The ones I've had re the Morris and Case version and I love the metal. Great edge. I've not tried the Ludo version.
The scales on yours don't look original.
The scales on yours don't look original.
Great 1st razor. It should be a good shaver.
Here’s my Morris 133 and strop!
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- Thread starter
- #6
Wow that’s a nice set! I’m looking at the strop on eBay for 50$ Because i want to match even though my scales aren’t original. Is that a fair price? Thoughts? This is my first straight and i know need a strop
Here’s my Morris 133 and strop!
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I think $50 is roughly what I paid for my strop. I think for a vintage Shell strop in decent shape, like a Red Imp, I'd pay that any day. THOUGH if you can find one cheaper, that's even better!
- Thread starter
- #8
What does decent shape mean? What should i watch out for? Also how do you make your strop look new again?
Decent shape means that it has a relatively smooth surface. Red Imp's were often the first razor strop a young barber would have purchased back in the 50's-60's. They were a fairly popular brand! So, like with many of us, those barbers cut or otherwise maimed their strops.... Mine is not perfect, it does have a couple of cuts along the edge of the strop, but they had been smoothed out by years of use and do not impede the use of the strop. What you want is a smooth surface with nothing that can grab the edge of your razor as it is passing by. Many times if there is a shallow cut in a shell strop like a Red Imp, you can take high grit sand paper and smooth that section of the strop. THEN, you can smooth out that spot with a little TLC. I would take a tiny amount of neetsfoot oil and rub the spot with the palm of my hand for quite some time, or use a glass bottle.
You can cannot make it look new unless you completely sand down the old finish of the strop, but even this won't look perfect. My suggestion is to clean the surface with a liquid saddle soap and a sponge and then let it dry for several days. Then apply some neetsfoot oil to the palm of your hand and work it in(don't use more than a few drops, less is more). As for the metal hardware, pick up a bottle of Maas Metal Polish, Flitz, or Mothers Mag and Aluminum polish and give it a good cleaning. The Linen strop will be the most work to clean up.... I took my strop apart and and then soaked it in Oxi clean, then did several rounds of soaking and scrubbing with a nylon brush to remove years and years of grime. THERE are a lot of different threads on cleaning up the fabric strops, I'd suggest you try several methods. I was happy with the way mine turned out. As always, do some research, spend some time and effort on it, and you'll learn something every time you do it. YMMV
You forgot one very important thing Matt.....what ever you purchase please tell the seller if they are going to ROLL the strop to ship it to roll it LEATHER SIDE OUT. If the seller will roll a stop the other way the strop will be damaged and be of no use no matter how good the deal is.
Larry
Great point!!! I’ve seen many strops like this in antique malls that are now junk...
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Right now this is the best one I own....Koken scotch shell.
We are all here to help each other out....you will learn the tips and tricks too and know whats good and bad in due time. When in doubt, ask beforyou buy.
Larry
We are all here to help each other out....you will learn the tips and tricks too and know whats good and bad in due time. When in doubt, ask beforyou buy.
Larry
Let's wake this thread up! Who has a Red Imp, which they love???
I have the Morris 132 and 133. I like them both.
Nice! You don't see many Morris 132's! The majority I see are case or Ludo and their scales are JUNK, Warped or shrunken.
I have the Ludo 132 - the wedge version. Like your 133 it has the hand-hammered tang. I suspect yours does not have the original scales, as all the Red Imps I have seen have the red plastic scales with the logo. That said, no big loss, the Ludo scales IMO are pretty cheesy and cheap looking. I like the Morris scales much better.
The Red Imp 132 and 133 are excellent razors. I am a Case man. I just like the whole American thing. The 132 is quarter hollow and the 133 is full hollow. I would love to know how it all happened that three different manufacturers - Case, Ludo and Morris - made them.
The blade on my Case Red Imp 132 is identical to my Case Temperite 20.
The grind on my Case razors is impeccable.
Case Red Imp 132.
Case Temperite 20.
The blade on my Case Red Imp 132 is identical to my Case Temperite 20.
The grind on my Case razors is impeccable.
Case Red Imp 132.
Case Temperite 20.
Those Temperite scales are perilous! I have picked up several of these Case Temperite wedges and full hollows, but the scales had all shrunk around the blade. All the full hollows had bent blades from the pin flexing the blade for years, luckily the wedges were just fine. Really cool to see yours in original condition, I'd say its a rare bird!
