Hi Steve,
I know what you mean, but this is inlay, and it must have been a very difficult work to do so, as the channels were made very close to each other. Someone who could do this kind of work must have been a very skilled craftsman.
Most of what we see to day is koftgari, but I guess that in some collections you will find inlay if you look hard enough. If the picture is good enough, and you blow it up, you will be able to see where the channels once were, covered in old dirt and old rust, but you can see them.
Nice blade btw

.
Jens