Originally Posted by
82boy
You don't need a machine shop to shorten a die. (I had to do this with every Redding die I have ever owned.) Take the die apart, and using various weights of sand paper, you can shorten the die. Start out with some 220 , and work down to 2000. Take the sand paper, and place it on a surface you know is flat. Some will tape the paper down, some would just hold it. Flat surfaces are glass, like a cutting board, I have had great success using the coffee table. Hold the die absolutely straight on the sand paper, and work in a figure 8 motion, rotate the die to a different position every few strokes. Watch doing this as material will be removed quicker than you think. once you work down to 2000 grit, wash the die out in a good cleaner, like acetone. Reassemble and see what your set back is. May take a few times of working and cleaning and checking to get it right.