One thing I have noticed is that almost all damascus of unknown source seems to be labeled "1095 and 15N20". While that is a good mix, it seems strange that nearly all of the ebay and low price damascus is that exact mix? I have also noticed that these billets seem to etch in very different ways, which would be surprising since they all are supposedly the same mix.
Years back I used to have contact with a damascus maker in India and another in Pakistan. They both implied they used whatever was available at low cost and in good supply to make the damascus with.
The product from the Pakistani was surprisingly far better than the one from India.
The Indian maker was providing billets to the "******* Forge" company that (at that time) was making many of the knives, swords, and museum replicas sold online. I met his cousin in Atlanta, at Blade. I asked him how they could sell a 30" bar of damascus for $100. He said that his cousin would use everything from manhole covers to 55 gallon drums in his steel mix....if the price was right.
Since some of these billets will max out at Rc54, I tend to think he was at least partly telling the truth.
