Archer that "V" is a matter of cooling the steel in the quench..notice on the first the edges are darker photos 1 and 4 and the "V" points to the tip...as the blade is quenched it cools faster on the thin edges and then the center...so when dipped in, held and then removed the center will still be hot...which make the "V" pattern.
photo 5 shows the "V" pointing the other way..which is really not possible on the typical quench.
The photos from Oriental Arms appears to me to be a different material source than what crucible steel forms..far closer to well forged shear steel or bloomery steels with levels of phosphorous. It is in fact possible to get a surface pattern when you have no carbon in the iron at all...though I believe all those pictured are in fact some form of steel...I can not say with any authority what that steel is.
I'd like to chemically analyze some of that material.....I am at a point now where I have seen many things and some of my opinions have changed even since last year...I'm trying to be opinionated for all the right reasons and not because I simply have not seen something before. To say something "IS" something is a bold statement...and knowing the chemistry or how it looks under a microscope is one more page to the book so to speak.
In fact I am gathering samples of various ethnic blades for that reason...to create a sample body.
Whatever it is it obviously was a traditional material...I am not saying any of these are not old...just arguably not crucible steel. I would throw none of then out of my collection should they one day join.
Ric
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