I need some new honing stones and can't decide which ones. I have only used ceramic to sharpen knives with in the past and really don't know much about them. Brownells has both the ceramic and Norton India stones in medium and fine. The size is 6"x1/2x1/2. The India stones are a little cheaper but not enough to matter. I have been using whatever I have around but have decided to buy some decent ones to work on several revolvers with. Give me some advice here and help me decide.

The standards are ceramic, India (which are actually synthetic, man-made), and Arkansas.

The Arkansas was traditional for fine work due to the super fine grades and very hard material that didn't wear as bad as other types.
Technology in the form of ceramic has caught up to natural Arkansas stones.

I found that Arkansas and ceramic don't wear like India and maintain their sharp edges and flat surfaces better.
Personally, I went all ceramic since they wear the least of all and work so well.

The only "glass" stones I use are on the hammer/ sear of 1911s. I get the very fine ones for the final polish. Glass stones you use with just water, the other types need a few drops of oil. Never run stones dry.

S&W's seen happy with medium/fine stones. I purchase Norton stones that are 6" long and when they start to loose their flatness, I break them smaller for chasing burrs around the gun.

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NRA Benefactor Member

Thanks for the information. I'm leaning towards ceramic now. I'm going to order a set from Brownell's and see how they work.