Nording Signature Freehand Smooth 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.

The story behind Nording’s Signature line of freehands is an interesting one. Of course, Erik Nording himself was one of the pioneers of the form, but it wasn’t until quite recently that he started putting his own signature on them. See, like Poul Winslow and Rainer Barbi, Erik Nording used to tour across Europe, visiting various pipe shops and shows, and performing public demonstrations of his freehand turning prowess. Crowds would watch as Erik sat at a workbench and transformed a block of briar into a pipe at the kind of speed that only masters like Erik could achieve. When he was done, he would sign his name on the bowl and one of the lucky onlookers would get to keep it. This seems to have planted an idea in Erik’s head that more people should be able to have one of these pipes, so Nording now offers them to people who aren’t fortunate enough to visit a pipe maker in residence.

This one is completely unsmoked, with an original bowl coating. Having been traded in from the estate of something of a freehand fanatic, it also comes with what I’d assume to be its original sleeve.

 

Details:

Length: 5.7″ / 144.7mm

Bowl Width: 0.81 / 20.57mm

Bowl Depth: 1.30″ / 33.02mm

Weight: 2.4oz / 70g