When it comes to heat treating I suggest the recipe Dr. Larrin Thomas uses for CPM154 and AEB-L:
Austenitize at 1950 for 15(AEB-L) to 30(CMP145) minutes.
When using the AEB-L/304 combination use the 15 Minute schedule Plate quench with compressed air blast.
Cryo for a minimum of one hour.
Temper 350-450f depending on desired toughness.
Here is a link to his recent study about different damascus combinations.
For the etch I like to use Gator Piss from Baker forge and tool.
Baker Forge and Tool Gator Piss
If you don't want to spend the money to get that, the other option is to use ferric chloride, distilled water, and hydrogen peroxide. You may have to experiment with the mixing combinations to achieve the desired etch(start with equal parts), but it works and is what I started out using before I found out Gator Piss worked on stainless.
Zach Dudek