Fredeen Blades

what kind of steal did you use for your dies? just a36 or tool steal?

I cant confirm for sure what steel I used for the dies. I found some good sized pieces at the scrap yard that were cutoffs/scrap from a machine shop. They were all marked A2, which is my guess for what they are, but cant be for sure. I didn't try to HT them, my logic is that if they are A2 if they get hot enough durring use to start deforming they will air harden themselves. Granted you could do dies out of mild and they would work pretty well, after awhile they might need some slight dressing up, but they'd certainly do the job.

cool,i got the jack yesterday and i'm going to go get the still today.

I don't think it matters too much what steel you use for dies, especailly the thick ones, as the metal you are working is hot and soft compared to your cold, hard die. I know its a bit different, but most of my swages and fullers are made from mild and I just accept that I will have to dress them up every now and then. As for my hot cuts and butchers they are made from old scarifier tynes (spring steel) and not hardened and they last for ages before its necessary to dress them.