Karl Erik A Smooth Freehand Estate Briar Pipe, Unsmoked

Description

Karl Erik was a Danish pipe-maker, and one of the originators of the Danish style of pipe-making that swept the world in the 20th century. He was a prolific carver and many who apprenticed in his workshop went on to become iconic pipe-makers in their own right, such as Peder Jeppesen and Bent Nielsen (Benner). Erik was also what might be called a pipe-maker’s pipe-maker, one admired not only by Danish pipe enthusiasts, but by other legends in his contemporary scene – so much so that, when Erik sadly passed in 2004, Tom Eltang bought Erik’s lathe to use in his own workshop.

Just like Preben Holm, Erik Nording, or Soren Refbjerg, the freehand pipes of Danish masters like Karl Erik rare come to us – some four or five decades later – unsmoked. It’s always nice, then, when one does land on my desk in a completely unused state. That’s what you’re seeing here: a quintessentially Danish freehand, with plateau briar at its rim and shank end, straight grain lining the sides of its bowl, and an elaborate, quadruple-beaded stem. This one has a small patch of spot carving at the front of its bowl, which adds a little extra something to the pipe’s rugged aesthetic.

To repeat: the pipe is completely unsmoked, with an original bowl coating from Erik’s workshop.

 

Details:

Length: 6.8″ / 172.7mm

Bowl Width: 1.00 / 25.40mm

Bowl Depth: 1.57″ / 39.87mm

Weight: 2.3oz / 66g