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For my blades w/ a moderate smile, I use the swooping stroke after some circles. I do find it quite a bit more challenging to do that on a smaller stone - calls for pretty precise initiation of edge contact and rate arc to complete in a single stroke.
Would you recommend sticking to the full size (7-8" x 3") stones if you do this much? or is there a technique aspect I'm missing? For example - I would thing a swooping stroke on a palm-sized bout would be enough to drive one batty.
You can hone those with regular x stroke mixed with x-stroke at and angle and circles too.
Look at those videos here
http://straightrazorpalace.com/video...-gssixgun.html
But to your question if the longer stone work and the shorter does not seem to , then the choice of stone is clear.
Personally, I prefer longer hones. I don't like making a short stroke and having to make more back and forths for the same amount of honing.
BUT if you cannot get the hones you want at the longer lengths you want (for whatever reason), adapt and overcome. Just practice, and the technique will come to you.