I'm going to go with over heating too. I had a similar issue with some 1084 that I know for a fact that I over heated a little. I didn't sand blast it but when I etched it in ferric chloride pretty much that same pattern came out. I ended up busting that knife into pieces just to see the grain and sure enough it was large in some areas and medium in others.
Great job on that blade! Your lines are very sharp.
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J, Saccucci Knives, JSK
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