So i was looking around and found a rock crusher anvil from the 90s. I wanted to know if it was worth buying. Or if anyone has seen somthing like this

I don't know anything about it but if it's cast steel yes it can be used, and has many usable shapes to use at that. If it's cast iron I'd pass. 

Also would depend on how much they want for it. 

He said he wanted $50

Weight? Rebound?

Not sure, the guy said it was really xxxxxxxx heavy.

It should be a medium high carbon, high manganese allow if it's out of a hammer mill type crusher. I'd make a counter offer while pointing out scrap only sells for scrap price no matter the alloy. A neighbor had a pair of monster coil springs out of a grizzly type crusher they were asking $20 each for because they were "valuable tool steel!" I offered $10 for the pair IF they'd help me get them in the pickup. They calculate to weigh around 450 lbs. ea. and at the time $20 ea was a fair price but they are so darned heavy and the closest recycler is better than an hour's drive. It took a friend and I some serious sweating and long levers to get one in the back of the SUV. The sellers had moved and abandoned the springs along with a bunch of other trash but the guys who cleaned the lot didn't want to hurt themselves moving them. The second one is still laying there. I point it out to other smiths when we're passing, I don't need it I have enough to make hammers, to and bottom tools for the rest of my life now. The wire in the coil is 2.5" dia. coils are 12.5" dia. and the coil is 4' and some long. 

Sorry for the side track, make a counter offer while pointing out it's just scrap AFTER they haul it to the recycler and offer him something that makes him cringe so you both can give a little and come to a price that makes you both happy.

Weight makes almost as much difference as alloy so take a bathroom scale with you. Also take a: wire brush, small cold chisel or center punch, light ball pein hammer and a new file. NO, a 1" ball bearing is excessive, 3/8" minimum to 1/2" bearings will tell you everything you need to know and you can carry one in your pocket without noticing it. More is NOT better in many cases.

Anyway, brush a clean spot where you want the to be. Take the file to it, it shouldn't skate but it should have a dry sound and not cut easily. Then take the chisel or punch to it and give it a light rap with the hammer. If it doesn't cut or punch but the file cuts, it's a primo RC. 

Doing a hammer or bearing rebound test isn't really going to reveal anything but it's general uniformity and hardness, a mill anvil or hammer is a 1 piece forging so there won't be any delamiation to detect. Cracks maybe so it isn't a waste of time.

It looks like a promising expedient anvil, I'd be bargaining for it, we have new members who'd love anything to forge on. 

Frosty The Lucky.

Those things are incredibly stout and make good anvils or swages.  The job they have to do in a crusher is extremely abusive, so they're made from alloys that'll take both abrasion and impact.  While they wear down and need replacing, the remnants are solid anvils if you want to use them for such.

There was another member here on IFI that did up an anvil from a similar crusher/breaker bit.  I saved a picture he posted as I thought it made for a very neat anvil, especially for smaller work that you might do at a public demo.

Frosty, thanks for that! As you said coil springs i just forged my first knife in the school shop out of one from a pickup truck. Vaughn, as you said a small anvil for public demos i have been using a small chunk of railroad track i cut with the torch and put a small horn on it. It has seeved me pretty well but i needed bigger.

My pleasure, it's a good expedient anvil. Take note of how the one in the above pic is mounted, the hinge ear is an excellent dishing form. Lots of good shapes.

Frosty The Lucky.

lukerec, I have one exactly like that, but not so worn so as to have the "v" shape cut in it, it's been sitting outside the shop for about 4 years now.

I haven't had a use for it yet.

Jeremy, how would you mount it? I was thinking of welding a stand so i had access to rotate it but not sure. 

I'd make whatever stand to be able to rotate it And turn it on end to access all of the usable shapes it has. Think swage block / anvil. 

Daswulf that’s exactly what i had in mind for it

Mount it on a stand like other swage blocks, so it can lay flat or on edge, depends on how you make the stand.

Now you're getting into the swing of the tool. 

Frosty The Lucky.

I can't speak directly about that particular hunk of iron and it's herbs and spices but my anvil was cast by a company that makes crusher/shredder hammers---they cast a dozen or so actual anvils as an experiment a couple of years back. 265 pounds.  

I don't know the exact grade as the little I was able to find out the metal was that they considered it a  "proprietary" version of stainless steel, likely with a bucket of manganese in the mix.  It hasn't shown one bit of denting or wear on the face.  Rebound is about 85%.

Anyway, the point is that the materials used for crusher/shredder hammers these days can make a fine anvil...and probably the same is true of older versions.  I don't know about the negatives or positives of the shape, but I certainly wouldn't pass on the piece if it physically fits your needs and the piece has a decent weight to it.  Some aspects of the shape might actually be useful.

I pay US 20 cents a pound to buy scrap; I'd put that on a bathroom scale and offer that and be happy to have such a nice anvil---the first pic with a flat and a curved face is probably how I would mount it too!