Tom Eltang 2020 Snail Grade Smooth Elephant’s Foot Estate Briar Pipe, Danish Estates

Description

Tom Eltang made his first pipe from a Pibe-Dan hobby kit at the age of 11. At age 16, he apprenticed under the legendary Anne Julie, before moving on to work for Pipe-Dan three years later. Three years after that, Eltang began working for Stanwell. Through these formative experiences with major Danish pipe making institutions, Eltang cultivated the skills and creativity that would see him emerge as one of the figureheads of Danish artisan pipe-making scene. In terms of influence, it is perhaps only Sixten Ivarsson who has had a comparable impact on the world of hand made pipes.

While Tom Eltang is the foremost champion of functionalist pipe design alive today, with an output featuring a pronounced emphasis on shapes like the cutty, the poker, and the Dublin, he is certainly no stranger to the stranger shapes associated with the “Danish” style. Or, to be more precise in the case of this one, the Scandinavian style of pipe making. Like so many pipe makers of his generation, as well as the generations that have come since, Eltang is a great admirer of the pionering Swedish artisan, Bo Nordh. Eltang has made quite a few renditions of, and variations on, Bo Nordh’s signature shapes over the years, and even had the chance to collaborate with Nordh during the latter’s final years, resulting in the appropriately named “Botang” pipes.

This particular pipe is one of Eltang’s various homages to the Swedish master. Made in 2020, it is a variation on a signature shape of Nordh’s, the “Elephant’s Foot,” which proved to be foundational in the world of artisan pipes. Distinguished by its broad, flattened front and back face, the Elephant’s Foot is most typically cross-cut, as seen here, in a manner that maximizes bird’s-eye patterning on those two faces, with cross-grain connecting the two at either flank. It was one of several of Nordh’s shapes to focus on bird’s-eye in that regard, rather than merely chasing straight grain. Similarly to Nordh’s renditions, this one from Eltang also features a fairly long shank extension cut from animal horn, which also serves as a brass-stabilized ferrule into which the pipe’s mouthpiece snugly fits.

While the majority of Eltang’s contemporary works are ungraded (unlike previous decades, where he utilized a somewhat complicated system of symbols), pipes that Eltang considers to be particularly exceptional are still marked as such. These pipes are either stamped with a snail symbol or an “M,” with the latter being a little higher (though by Eltang’s count, anywhere from 0 to 2 pipes receive an “M” grade per year).

On a final note, I was quite struck by the finishing on this pipe, as it is remarkably close to his famous “Golden Contrast” finish, which he developed (and also licensed to Stanwell) in 1982. Followers of Eltang’s work will know that he stopped using his signature contrast finish in the 2000s, as he developed an acute allergy to the oils used in its application. It would seem that Eltang managed to find a workaround to that issue, which is wonderful to see, especially given that the Golden Contrast was specifically developed to accentuate bird’s-eye grain.

The condition is great. Minor inner rim darkening and some very slight weathering to the pipe’s horn ferrule. This pipe comes with its original box and leather sleeve.

Details: 

Length: 5.9″ / 149.8mm

Bowl Width: 0.83 / 21.08mm

Bowl Depth: 1.60″ / 35.56mm

Weight: 1.4oz / 42g