Hello Ian,
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I think what you are calling blotches may be deliberate inclusions that are forged into the steel.
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Exactly. Only that these often polygonal inclusions with pretty crisp margins present quite an enigma how such an effect got achieved by the bladesmith.
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The OP of this thread has a blade that is very "dirty" and hard to read. I'm not entirely convinced that these "blotches" are actually in the blade rather than an artifact on the surface.
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Apparently it exhibits a combination of both kind of features.
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I can't see how they would alter the performance of the weapon much.
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No, they won't. I've never seen these blotches to extend into the hardened edge.
Also both sides differ from each other. Thus, the blade sems to be a sandwich construction rather than exhibiting any inserted edge.
AFAIK, such a kind of mosaic pamor is not found in antique blades from anywhere throughout Indonesia.
Regards,
Kai