Alessi Refurbish – making due w/old leather

Prvt. Toter · March 8th, 2008, 12:42 AM

So I bought this holster off ebay... got it for ~$10.50... it is an Alessi Hideout; I believe.

Description as purchased...
Brown Allesi holster for Smith & Wesson 4516
Here is a Brown Allesi holster for Smith & Wesson 4516 for your bidding pleasure.
The holster is in excellent condition overall with just a very few signs of use as you can see from the pictures. Quite strong and pliable. It is marked 4516 1 so, I presume it fits a discontinued S & W 4516.
and later in the description...again....
A nice looking holster rig in excellent condition and no reserve!

Here is a photo...

This holster arrived nicely packed and upon inspection I realized that this is not ECXELLENT CONDITION as stated, it is infact flatened and very soft...(not the quality you want in a holster) it had very little rigidity left in the old leather... obviously this had seen its day and has long since been up for retirement.

I purchased this holster to try for my Smith and Wesson 945-40. This is a performance center pistol built on the 4516 frame; the compact .40 caliber version of the 945.

The holster was dirt cheap and it would give me an opportunity to rule out another variation of the 4516 in my quest for a holster. The 4516 came in many varients, ie... 4516, 4516-1, 4516-2... etc. This holster was for the -1 variety. Not having much invested and finding that my pistol did not fit the holster, I opted not to complain to the seller, after all we are only talking $10, and to be fair, he/she probably thought it was tip top!

TIME TO EXPERIMENT

The next thing I did was wash the holster, degrease the outer and inner surfaces and fill it with near boiling water...

I then ziplocked and heatgunned my performance center pistola and proceded to stuff it into the now slimy, pliable and somewhat FUBAR'ed holster... Lou will disinherit me I am sure...

I will also say that my labrador retreiver was rather upset at this point having been cheated out of a very vialbe chew toy...

Here it is after the boning and drying a few hours under the halogen shop lights...

Prvt. Toter · March 8th, 2008, 12:45 AM

Hmmm... looking interesting...

I can't stand a tan holster against a black belt, and all my belts are black... well you see where this is going! After drying much longer than I actually had patience for, I dug through my shelves and found a bottle of Tandy MIDNIGHT BLACK leather dye...

On with the science experiment.

I applied the dye and allowed to dry... I had to reapply some areas as the leather did not pull the dye in as well. I had used a scotch brite pad to rough up the BODY side of the holster and was not as agressive on the belt side. The dye took well and the results are here..

Still slightly wet..

I let the holster dry a couple of days as I did not have any leather finish (acrylic sealer to prevent color bleed). Picked up the sealer at HOBBY LOBBY and got back to work...

After the sealer dried and was ready to trial...

And after a full day in the belt...no black on the shirt...

I hope it stays that way!!!

AND YOU ALL THOUGHT I WAS CRAZY.... well maybe just a little....

And for LOU, I promise not to pass this on to sombody else...

Hope you all enjoyed the long winded experiment with holster modification. What I woud say is that this holster was very close to fitting, but not quite. The controls are different on the 945-40 than the 4616. Enough so that I do not believe a 4516 holster will work, and I have yet to find a holster maker that has a blank for this gun, so I gave it a shot. I do not know if it will hold up, but currently the gun fits nice, the pull is slightly looser than a purchased holster from Alessi, but the holster has been through the ringer, literally.

Cheers and good shooting...

AZ Husker · March 8th, 2008, 01:07 AM

Well, the original seller did say it was "pliable"!
Nice reincarnation. Don't know about the heat gun though...

sheepdog · March 8th, 2008, 09:11 AM

Mr. Alessi probably stopped suddenly, looked up from his sewing machine or clicker dye and said, "I feel a disturbance in the force..." when you soaked it.
Seriously, it looks like it fits in all the right places. No problem with being too pliable since it's IWB (discounting reholstering), looks like that allowed you to save it and make the $10.50 holster you'll ever see, if it fits as good as it looks. I personally would have chickened out on the black dye, though. Nice little project.

GingerKid · March 8th, 2008, 09:55 AM

sweet job there sir... what did you use for the boning?

bluelineman · March 8th, 2008, 11:38 AM

You did a great job! Not bad for 10 bucks.

Prvt. Toter · March 8th, 2008, 12:09 PM

Ginger Kid,

To do the bone work, I used (cough) a Sharpe Marker... I have a MONSTER version that has a large rounded end. I then used a fine point version that has a squared butt that worked well to define the sharp edges and the inside trigger area. This I wanted to be sharply defined as it is what holds the gun in along with the ejection port area... It worked pretty well. I used what I had on hand, and the plastic marker bodies worked quite well.

Clean / Degrease
- Brake Clean
- Detergent and Hot Water
- Phospher Bronze Brush to remove embedded crud
- Scotch Brite pads again for the embedded crud

Bone / Shape
- Sharpe Markers
- Fingers

Dye / Seal
- Scotch Brite pads to rough up leather
- Eco Flo Dye from Tandy Leather in Midnight Black
- Sponge Brush to apply Dye
- Shop Rags to buff and rub
- Fiebings Leather Sheen (Acrylic Sealer) prevents bleed and helps to water proof. (Added $4.77 to the total budget)
- Wool Daubers to apply Leather Sheen

I had the Createx Opaque black water based color on hand in case the dye did not take. The Createx is heat cured and turns to a vinyl like finish when heated... this was a last resort and I did not end up needing it...

Overall it was a fun and interesting project and did not cost much to boot. I figure with Shipping on the holster and the Leather Sheen and Misc Supplies, I have about $25 into it...

High Noon · March 8th, 2008, 01:15 PM

Good Job !!

That will become one of your favorite's.

Take care
Alex

jarhead79 · March 8th, 2008, 01:25 PM

The drying time.... it appeared that you left your gun in while it was drying?

I always mold the holster, remove the gun, then let the holster dry in front of a fan. Definitely speeds up the process and takes away the risk of rust to a real firearm (plastic punctures).

Nate

jackdog · March 8th, 2008, 02:57 PM

nice job, looks great

March 8th, 2008, 12:42 AM	#1
Prvt. Toter Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Michigan Posts: 153	Alessi Refurbish – making due w/old leather So I bought this holster off ebay... got it for ~$10.50... it is an Alessi Hideout; I believe. Description as purchased... Brown Allesi holster for Smith & Wesson 4516 Here is a Brown Allesi holster for Smith & Wesson 4516 for your bidding pleasure. The holster is in excellent condition overall with just a very few signs of use as you can see from the pictures. Quite strong and pliable. It is marked 4516 1 so, I presume it fits a discontinued S & W 4516. and later in the description...again.... A nice looking holster rig in excellent condition and no reserve! Here is a photo... This holster arrived nicely packed and upon inspection I realized that this is not ECXELLENT CONDITION as stated, it is infact flatened and very soft...(not the quality you want in a holster) it had very little rigidity left in the old leather... obviously this had seen its day and has long since been up for retirement. I purchased this holster to try for my Smith and Wesson 945-40. This is a performance center pistol built on the 4516 frame; the compact .40 caliber version of the 945. The holster was dirt cheap and it would give me an opportunity to rule out another variation of the 4516 in my quest for a holster. The 4516 came in many varients, ie... 4516, 4516-1, 4516-2... etc. This holster was for the -1 variety. Not having much invested and finding that my pistol did not fit the holster, I opted not to complain to the seller, after all we are only talking $10, and to be fair, he/she probably thought it was tip top! TIME TO EXPERIMENT The next thing I did was wash the holster, degrease the outer and inner surfaces and fill it with near boiling water... I then ziplocked and heatgunned my performance center pistola and proceded to stuff it into the now slimy, pliable and somewhat FUBAR'ed holster... Lou will disinherit me I am sure... I will also say that my labrador retreiver was rather upset at this point having been cheated out of a very vialbe chew toy... Here it is after the boning and drying a few hours under the halogen shop lights... __________________ If your not packin' your slackin' Its better to have and not need than to need and not have, keep it safe but keep it loaded! USN : Desert Storm

March 8th, 2008, 12:45 AM	#2
Prvt. Toter Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Michigan Posts: 153	Hmmm... looking interesting... I can't stand a tan holster against a black belt, and all my belts are black... well you see where this is going! After drying much longer than I actually had patience for, I dug through my shelves and found a bottle of Tandy MIDNIGHT BLACK leather dye... On with the science experiment. I applied the dye and allowed to dry... I had to reapply some areas as the leather did not pull the dye in as well. I had used a scotch brite pad to rough up the BODY side of the holster and was not as agressive on the belt side. The dye took well and the results are here.. Still slightly wet.. I let the holster dry a couple of days as I did not have any leather finish (acrylic sealer to prevent color bleed). Picked up the sealer at HOBBY LOBBY and got back to work... After the sealer dried and was ready to trial... And after a full day in the belt...no black on the shirt... I hope it stays that way!!! AND YOU ALL THOUGHT I WAS CRAZY.... well maybe just a little.... And for LOU, I promise not to pass this on to sombody else... Hope you all enjoyed the long winded experiment with holster modification. What I woud say is that this holster was very close to fitting, but not quite. The controls are different on the 945-40 than the 4616. Enough so that I do not believe a 4516 holster will work, and I have yet to find a holster maker that has a blank for this gun, so I gave it a shot. I do not know if it will hold up, but currently the gun fits nice, the pull is slightly looser than a purchased holster from Alessi, but the holster has been through the ringer, literally. Cheers and good shooting... __________________ If your not packin' your slackin' Its better to have and not need than to need and not have, keep it safe but keep it loaded! USN : Desert Storm

March 8th, 2008, 01:07 AM	#3
AZ Husker VIP Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Phoenix Posts: 3,567	Well, the original seller did say it was "pliable"! Nice reincarnation. Don't know about the heat gun though... __________________ Treat me good, I'll treat you better. Treat me bad, I'll treat you worse.

March 8th, 2008, 09:11 AM	#4
sheepdog Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Texas Posts: 578	Mr. Alessi probably stopped suddenly, looked up from his sewing machine or clicker dye and said, "I feel a disturbance in the force..." when you soaked it. Seriously, it looks like it fits in all the right places. No problem with being too pliable since it's IWB (discounting reholstering), looks like that allowed you to save it and make the $10.50 holster you'll ever see, if it fits as good as it looks. I personally would have chickened out on the black dye, though. Nice little project. __________________ What Would Gumby Do?

March 8th, 2008, 11:38 AM	#6
bluelineman Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 854	You did a great job! Not bad for 10 bucks. __________________ Support the Wounded Troops Medal of Honor Recipients, Iraq

March 8th, 2008, 09:55 AM	#5
GingerKid Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Atlanta, Georgia Posts: 204	sweet job there sir... what did you use for the boning?

March 8th, 2008, 12:09 PM	#7
Prvt. Toter Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Michigan Posts: 153	Ginger Kid, To do the bone work, I used (cough) a Sharpe Marker... I have a MONSTER version that has a large rounded end. I then used a fine point version that has a squared butt that worked well to define the sharp edges and the inside trigger area. This I wanted to be sharply defined as it is what holds the gun in along with the ejection port area... It worked pretty well. I used what I had on hand, and the plastic marker bodies worked quite well. Clean / Degrease - Brake Clean - Detergent and Hot Water - Phospher Bronze Brush to remove embedded crud - Scotch Brite pads again for the embedded crud Bone / Shape - Sharpe Markers - Fingers Dye / Seal - Scotch Brite pads to rough up leather - Eco Flo Dye from Tandy Leather in Midnight Black - Sponge Brush to apply Dye - Shop Rags to buff and rub - Fiebings Leather Sheen (Acrylic Sealer) prevents bleed and helps to water proof. (Added $4.77 to the total budget) - Wool Daubers to apply Leather Sheen I had the Createx Opaque black water based color on hand in case the dye did not take. The Createx is heat cured and turns to a vinyl like finish when heated... this was a last resort and I did not end up needing it... Overall it was a fun and interesting project and did not cost much to boot. I figure with Shipping on the holster and the Leather Sheen and Misc Supplies, I have about $25 into it... __________________ If your not packin' your slackin' Its better to have and not need than to need and not have, keep it safe but keep it loaded! USN : Desert Storm

March 8th, 2008, 01:15 PM	#8
High Noon Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: FLorida Posts: 150	Good Job !! That will become one of your favorite's. Take care Alex __________________ High Noon Holsters www.highnoonholsters.com

March 8th, 2008, 01:25 PM	#9
jarhead79 Distinguished Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Stansbury Park, UT Posts: 1,296	The drying time.... it appeared that you left your gun in while it was drying? I always mold the holster, remove the gun, then let the holster dry in front of a fan. Definitely speeds up the process and takes away the risk of rust to a real firearm (plastic punctures). Nate __________________ Sig P239 9mm Bersa Thunder.45 Ruger SP101 .38 SPL Glock 36 (night sites) UBG Holsters current wait time as of 7-16-2009: 3-5 weeks.

March 8th, 2008, 02:57 PM	#10
jackdog Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Dover,tn Posts: 222	nice job, looks great __________________ Jack dog

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