Quote Originally Posted by yotebuster1200 View Post
I will have to reread this topic and take some notes. In a paragraph or two what are the key things/mineral deposits to look for when looking for a hone?
It depends how you define hone. Just about any rock will serve in one way or another. There is a reason certain rocks are prized as hones and cost so much. Such stones have the ideal characteristics and that's what you pay for. The higher grit you go for the rarer the material. if you want to do preliminary work on an axe that's easy to find.

If you want to do some prospecting first you need to research reports on known quality hones and see their composition. Then you research your target area and look for similar rock associations and check the local Geologic Maps and use topographic maps to locate the precise areas. Get yourself a rock pick and a few chisels and off you go.

That's how I'd do it. As was mentioned often times the outer surface looks nothing like the actual rock so you need to break the rock open. That's because of weathering. Rocks containing certain minerals undergo chemical reactions which drastically change their appearance. A quartz pebble won't change much but something with iron will for instance.

The first thing I learned in my first Geology Course is no self respecting field Geologist would ever tell you "this rock is" from just looking at the outer surface. Maybe he'll say "it looks like". You need to see the inside and use magnification and tests to be precise.