Nording Handmade 3 Smooth Sitter Freehand Estate Briar Pipe, Unsmoked

Description

Nørding was founded by Erik Nørding in the 1960s, and is one of the oldest remaining companies to come out of the Scandinavian pipe-making renaissance that began in the mid-20th century. Now in his 80s, Erik Nørding is one of the most experienced and skilled pipe-makers in the world, and over the decades he has also been a teacher of other Danish masters, such as Poul Ilsted, Svend Axel Celius, Jens Tao Nielsen, Peder Jeppesen, and Søren Erik Andersen.

As the head of one of Denmark’s most prolific pipe companies, Erik Nørding himself doesn’t make many pipes these days, with those that he does make being mostly for the “Handmade” series. It’s always nice, then, to have an earlier Nørding pipe land on my desk, especially his freehands. After all, along with figures like Preben Holm, Erik Nørding was one of the pioneers and trailblazers of the “Danish fancy” style of freehand pipe design. This particular Nørding is a great example of why these pipes were so popular. It’s rugged and naturalistic in its shaping, but it’s also a very beautiful piece, thanks in no small part to its excellent straight grain and the contrast stain that elevates it. The pipe features a bare plateau rim, which no great freehand of this style should be without, and the pipe is also a sitter, making it even more manageable (though I will note that this freehand is far lighter in weight than most). 

 

Details:

Length: 5.8″ / 147.3mm

Bowl Width: 0.74 / 18.79mm

Bowl Depth: 1.4″ / 35.56mm

Weight: 1.8oz / 52g