Barry M

RIDGID did get back with me and said that they would replace the anvil as soon as they get them back in stock.  I emailed back with questions and they responded that the anvil would be shipped from RIDGID, the anvil would be checked for hardness and it would not cost me anything.  So both RIDGID and Zoro have given me great customer service.  I contemplated for a day or two and decided to return to Zoro for refund.  I'll pound on my RR track a little longer and keep looking.  Next year I am retiring and I am taking the family around the US.  I may make a stop in Jackson Wyoming and Holland Michigan.

Zoro Tools emailed this morning and said that they would pay for return shipping of my anvil.  I have not heard back from RIDGID since I sent the photo of the dents in the face.

Thank you georgef8 for the comparison.  If I had received your anvil I would be happy.  Looks like yours was hardened correctly.  On mine, the rebound is better at the edges and horn (at or above 90) and less in the middle (about 80).    The dents on mine are small but they can be felt when you run your fingernails across them and they don't go away.

7 hours ago, JHCC said:

Click on IFI member foundryguy, above; that’s his baby. 

I like how the whole anvil is hardened.  Here is a quote from Holland Anvil on Facebook "the entire anvil is hardened, all one hardness. H13 is done in a vacuum furnace and quenched with nitrogen then tempered to the correct hardness. Something like 8640 or 4140 is surface hardened." 

2 hours ago, Kozzy said:

If it gets into a bit of a battle, chase down someone with a "pocket penetrator" to do a quick hardness test of the surface.

Will do.  If RIDGID sees the pictures and says that it is normal then I may do that.

3 hours ago, Reeltree said:

If in fact the reputable online retailer is a contracted , licensed , legal or (how ever you wish to state) dealer for Ridgid, I would defiantly deal with the online store to cover all return cost.

I bought the anvil from Zoro Tools and the have been great so far.  They apologized for the problem and said that I could return it.  I am waiting on a response on weather they are paying for return shipping.

RIDGID asked for a picture of the anvil face and I sent them the one that I posted here on iforgeiron.

5 hours ago, Rojo. Pedro said:

I was really hoping that Ridgid would make this right. I have now reconsidered my future anvil purchase and definately will not buy an anvil that I cannot test first.

Diaspointing for sure  and I hope the return shipping is reasonable.

I am still talking with RIDGID.  They have not told me my options yet.  They also have not told me that I had to pay return shipping, but I read their warranty info and it stated that  the purchaser is responsible for return shipping.  I am still hoping for a good outcome.

On 12/10/2018 at 11:19 AM, JHCC said:

That does it for me -- if I ever get a new anvil, it's going to be a Holland.

In my research, I did not come across Holland.  I will give them a look.

On 12/7/2018 at 11:58 PM, Marc1 said:

So what's the outcome Barry?

On 12/9/2018 at 6:37 AM, ausfire said:

Keep us informed, Barry. That just isn't right. Hope the company comes good with a new one.

I received an email from RIDGID that they sent my information to a my "Local Territory Manager".  I received an email from her on 12-10-18.  She said that since my email said that I wanted to speak to someone that was knowledgeable about anvils that I needed to call tech support and she gave me their number.  I will call them today.  Since it was taking so long with RIDGID, I went ahead and requested a return from the seller.  I did this in case working with RIDGID does not work in my favor.  RIDGID's written policy is that I ship the defective item at my expense, but I am not willing to do that.  I have not heard back from the seller yet.

On 12/9/2018 at 6:18 AM, Lars_ said:

Anvils have this drop because of the difference in cooling down. That's also why your horns are harder than the central mass which stored heat longer.

Your anvil shouldn't ding up that easily. Did you try to take a file, of which you know the hardness, to the edge? It shouldn't bite easily with only light pressure. 

I have read about the heat treatment and horn drop so it was not a surprise.  I was just expecting it to be less.  I agree with what you about the central mass stored heat longer and it should not ding up that easily.  I have files, but I do not know their hardness.

Thank you guys for the responses.  I know sometimes I can have a little OCD, but I felt like this was not right.  So thank you for helping me confirm that there is a problem.

15 minutes ago, Irondragon Forge & Clay said:

Or it may be a cheap cast iron copy made in China or Mexico and the seller has been duped into thinking it is a genuine RIDGID

I bought it through a company listed on the RIDGID website as an authorized dealer of RIDGID-Peddinghaus anvils.  I will keep you posted on how this turns out.

I read that these anvils are known to have a little horn droop.  Is this a little excessive?

13 minutes ago, Irondragon Forge & Clay said:

No it is not, that anvil is defective. I would contact the seller and demand a replacement or my money back.

I have already sent an email to RIDGID.  They asked for my address and said they are going to have a "Local Territory Manager"  contact me.  I would like for RIGID to get one off of the shelf, check it and send it to me.  I think that am going to see how that works before I contact the seller.  The seller does not exclusively sell blacksmith tools and I figure RIDGID might want to make it right since it is their product.  

On 12/2/2018 at 10:20 PM, Rojo. Pedro said:

Are you sure they are dings and not just some marks in the finish? Any way to post a picture?

It was hard to get the light just right, but here is a picture.  All of the finish has been removed.  There are about 50 of these all over the face from dropping the bearing, 

On 12/3/2018 at 1:08 AM, JHCC said:

Might be traces of finish from the impact of the bearing. Try again and see if the bearing leaves a dent. 

I only dropped the bearing a few times before I removed the finish.  I can drop the bearing and watch the dings form.

28 minutes ago, Rojo. Pedro said:

Are you sure they are dings and not just some marks in the finish? Any way to post a picture?

When I first tested the rebound, I noticed that it rebound on the middle of the face was the least.  So I got out a razor blade and scraped off all of the factory clear coat and rechecked.  That is when I noticed the depressions. All of the paint is off.  I will attempt to take pictures and post them, but it will not be until Tuesday after work.   I am going to bed now now and have to work 16 hours tomorrow (Monday).  

Thank you for the response Frosty.  I had to look up the word "delurked".  I have my location under my name (looking from my computer) maybe it is hidden?  I will have to check that.  I live in Baker, Florida.  I bought a 165 lb Ridgid-Peddinghaus.  It seems to be harder at the edges and the horn than it is in the middle.  It does seem backwards.

I am new to blacksmithing.  I have been interested for several years, but life is busy.  Recently, I have been doing a lot of research, reading this forum and watching videos.  I have a piece of railroad track that I use and have been heating all my materials with a torch.  I am about to build a forge, either the 55 forge by Glenn or the box of dirt forge by Charles R, Stephens.  My plan was to add tools slowly and continue having fun.  During my research I discovered which brands of anvils that I would prefer having.  I had read all the reviews (good and bad), including the ones on this forum.  I thought "If I were buying new and if money was not an issue, I would buy either a Refflinghaus, Ridgid-Peddinghaus or Fontanini".  Well, while Christmas shopping online for my family after Thanksgiving, I stumbled on a 25% off coupon from a reputable online tool store that sold one of the anvils that I wanted with free shipping!  I spent the next few hours talking myself in and out of making the purchase.  You already know what happened.  The anvil arrived, I was excited to open my early Christmas present to myself.  I settled on the the smaller 165 pound anvil, but it is so heavy.  I am not yet ready for anything larger.  I checked it all over, welds look good, hardy hole off a little no big deal (already expected that), face is smooth but not flat (high in the middle, more than I expected) I think I can live with that.  I scraped all the clear coat off of the face.  I had a 1" ball bearing that I was testing the rebound with.  Rebound in the middle is about 8 inches (dropped from 10 inches) and about 9 inches on the flat horn.  The thing that got my attention the most was the small depressions that were left on the face between the hardy and pritchel holes, but none on the flat horn.  I have zero experience on a real anvil.  I expected there to be no trace that a ball bearing had hit the face.  Is this normal?