Hi Dave
I really can't make out any discernible pattern in the steel
. As far as both of your daggers having issues with fit at the hilt it just is a sign of poor fit and finish often seen on early to mid 20th pieces. Here is one from my collection with a wootz blade from about 1850 or so. You can see that Dom's is more 20th century than 19th and yours is more Indian than Persian in style.