Patrick Famin Mother of Pearl G.O.T.F. Mini: CopperMai Damascus and Zirconium
The Patrick Famin Mother of Pearl G.O.T.F. Mini came off the bench in October 2026 and the materials were selected by We Buy Knife Collections. WBKC’s goal was to create a look befitting of Patricks’ name for the knife, Gentleman’s OTF. Famin signed its certificate on the first of the month before delivering it to WBKC at Blade Show West 2026. This is a double-action automatic for a jacket pocket, not a tactical rig.
The blade is Baker Forge CopperMai, a copper san mai damascus that puts a bright copper seam down both sides of a figured core. Zirconium bolsters anchor the front of the handle. Mother of pearl fills the rest. Famin inlaid his copper maker’s mark into the blade itself.
Ten Years From First Prototype to Finished Automatic
Famin built his first out-the-front prototype around 2010. He had it working the way he wanted inside two months. Then he hit the wall that stops most makers at that point. Every single part needed shaping by hand, one at a time, and the arithmetic did not work. Two months of bench time for one knife is not a business. He shelved the project.
He picked it up again in 2020. By then he had ten more years of skill and a shop with milling, drilling and grinding machines he had not owned the first time around. The new prototype came together far faster. He had also spent those years building side-opening double-action automatics, and that experience cut the testing phase short.
That decade matters when you handle one. Famin says he wants to build the best OTF on the market, and he wants to build it more fully by hand. You can see both halves of that ambition here. Browse his other work on the Patrick Famin Custom Knives brand page.
Baker Forge CopperMai on the Patrick Famin Mother of Pearl G.O.T.F. Mini
Baker Forge developed CopperMai in 2020. The process fusion welds copper directly to carbon steel without a pure nickel interlayer, which Baker Forge reports produces a notably stronger bond under shear testing. Copper had always been the difficult metal to laminate. Solving that opened a material no one else was offering.
San mai means three layers. A cutting core carries the edge, and softer decorative cladding sits on either side. On this blade the grind cuts through the copper layer at an angle, so the copper surfaces as a wavy bright line running the length of the blade. The core underneath shows a contoured, topographic figure.
Famin ground a long fuller down the flat. Cutting into a damascus billet exposes deeper layers, which is why concentric rings bloom around that groove. That figure is not etched on. It goes all the way through the steel. We hold other copper san mai pieces, including the Shane Atwood Vengeance in meteorite cu-mai.
The blade is a true dagger. Famin sharpened both edges and brought them to a fine centered point. Compare it against the Damasteel Damacore G.O.T.F. Mini we also hold, which runs the same frame in a completely different material set.
Patrick Famin Mother of Pearl Scales and Zirconium Bolsters
Mother of pearl is nacre, the layered material a mollusk deposits inside its own shell. Those layers sit at roughly the wavelength of visible light. Light entering the surface reflects off several layers at once and interferes with itself, which is what throws the shifting pink, gold and green you see as the knife turns.
No two panels match, and nobody can order a specific figure. A maker cuts what the shell gives him. Pearl also punishes sloppy work. It chips under heat and pressure, so every screw hole and every edge represents a slow, patient operation at the bench.
The zirconium bolsters carry a dark finish that reads near black in shade and warm graphite in direct sun. Zirconium is a refractory metal, far denser than titanium and considerably harder to machine. Famin paired it with a stainless steel frame, a titanium pocket clip, and mixed copper and steel hardware that picks up the copper in the blade.
Look at the spine and you will find a milled row of diamonds running its length. That detail does nothing mechanically. It exists because Famin put it there.
Patrick Famin Mother of Pearl G.O.T.F. Mini Condition and What’s Included
This Patrick Famin Mother of Pearl G.O.T.F. Mini is new. We acquired it directly from Famin at Blade Show West 2026, so it has never had a retail owner. The pearl carries no marks, the copper in the blade retains its full brightness, and the zirconium shows no handling wear.
It ships with the Patrick Famin zippered pouch and the certificate of authenticity, which Famin filled out by hand and signed. That card records the blade, frame, bolster, scale and clip materials in his own writing and carries the date. Our grading standards are published at How We Grade, and our approach to paperwork is set out under Provenance.
Patrick Famin Mother of Pearl G.O.T.F. Mini Specifications
Figures below come from the signed certificate of authenticity and from our own measurements taken in house.
- Overall length: 7.50 inches
- Closed length: 4.25 inches
- Blade length: 3.25 inches
- Cutting edge: 3.20 inches
- Blade material: Baker Forge CopperMai copper san mai damascus
- Blade profile: Dagger, double edged
- Blade feature: Fuller down the flat, inlaid copper maker’s medallion
- Frame and liners: Stainless steel
- Bolsters: Zirconium, dark finish
- Scales: Mother of pearl
- Pocket clip: Titanium
- Hardware: Mixed copper and steel
- Spine: Milled diamond pattern
- Action: Double-action out-the-front automatic
- Deployment: Thumb slide on the handle flank
- Weight: 5.6 ounces
- Date: October 1, 2026
- Country of origin: France
- Condition: New
- SKU: 00222-PF-GOTFMINI-COPPERMAI-MOP-20261001
- Included: Patrick Famin zippered pouch, signed certificate of authenticity
See more pieces of this type in our automatic knives.
Video Description: Gentleman’s Out the Front in Mother of Pearl
The video shows what still photographs cannot. Mother of pearl changes completely as it moves under light, and the copper seam in the Baker Forge CopperMai blade brightens and dims along its length as the angle shifts. You will see the dark zirconium bolsters swing from near black to warm graphite in the same pass.
You will also see the double-action slide work. One push forward sends the blade out and locks it. One pull back retracts it. Watch the milled diamond row along the spine and the copper maker’s medallion set into the blade flat. Both are small details that reward a close look on a screen larger than a phone.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does G.O.T.F. stand for?
Gentleman Out The Front. Famin uses it for his dress OTF line, where the slide sits on the handle flank. His larger DOTF, or Dot OTF, takes its name from the three anodized titanium pins in its spine-side toggle. Different actuator, different position, different model.
Is mother of pearl durable enough to carry?
Collectors have carried pearl-handled knives for well over a century. Nacre is harder than most people expect. It does not like sharp impact against stone or tile, and it does not like sudden temperature swings. Treat it the way you would a good watch and it will outlast you.
What is CopperMai and will it patina?
CopperMai is Baker Forge’s copper san mai, with copper fusion welded between steel layers as cladding over a damascus core. The copper will darken over years of handling, the same way a copper coin does. Many collectors want exactly that. A wipe with a soft cloth after handling slows it down.
What does the copper medallion in the blade mean?
That is Famin’s maker’s mark, inlaid into the blade flat rather than etched onto it. Cutting a seat and setting a medallion is considerably more work than an etch. He chose copper so it would answer the copper running through the san mai.
How does a double-action automatic differ from a single-action?
A single-action out-the-front fires the blade open, and you then retract it by hand against the spring. A double-action does both from the same control. Push the slide and it deploys. Pull the slide and it withdraws. The mechanism is more complex, and on a custom at this level it is the harder thing to build well.
Does We Buy Knife Collections actively support the broader knife enthusiast community?
Yes. Based in Jacksonville, Florida, We Buy Knife Collections is a curator and purveyor of fine custom made folding and fixed-blade knives. We are dedicated to the high-end custom knife community and we support knife rights advocacy.
Following our commitment upgrade in April 2026, we are proud to hold an AKTI Premier Membership, supporting the American Knife & Tool Institute’s vital advocacy and lobbying for knife owners, makers, and the future of the industry.
Buy This Patrick Famin Mother of Pearl G.O.T.F. Mini
We inspected this knife in hand and described it honestly above. Famin builds these one at a time, and no second Patrick Famin Mother of Pearl G.O.T.F. Mini will exist, because the shell cannot be duplicated. See everything we currently hold from this maker on the Patrick Famin brand page.
We also buy. If you hold custom automatics and are considering moving them, start at Sell Your Knife Collection, or see what we are actively seeking under What We Buy: Automatics.
Automatic Knife Legal Notice
This is an automatic knife. Laws governing purchase, possession, and carry vary by state, county, and municipality.
The buyer must know and follow the laws that apply where they live before ordering. We do not give legal advice. For current state-by-state information, consult the American Knife and Tool Institute.
