New Elliot Nachwalter

guhrillastile · Oct 23, 2013

It's been discussed at length and the poor cat has been kicked around from one side to the other for it.
Our American legend with Danish in his Veins... Elliot Nachwalter.
Just picked up another if his early freehands. Just such lovely grain. Don't think I have ever seen one of his freehands I didn't like the grain on.
I'll post a pic but mine are always awful. I'll cut a new stem for it as its destroyed. But its just going to fill my lil spot nicely. Thought I would share. Let the Lovers and haters of his work have it out. Feel free to post your own. This is only my second.
For those unfamiliar. There's much reading but he is a heavily debated carved that's in eastern US. His style is not outlandish nor remarkable per say. This shouldn't sell his work short as he has I FEEL an extremely keen eye for hand feel and eye appeal. His grains and work is typically easy to recognized because of it. Extremely straight forward nice pipes from nice material. Never heard of a poor performing example.
He has caught grief for inconsistent production. I may have rose colored glasses but I have personally not handled more than maybe a few dozen. And all have been superb in hand.
Pictures to follow when I can get good lighting later.

guhrillastile · Oct 23, 2013

Hmm. Just reading my own post.
I'm clearly not on the fence about his work. I apologize if that's how it reads. I'm excited to get another and wouldn't of thought of him but saw this pipe in a lot and bought them all just for this one.
He's been around the block but sort of unseen and unknown to most new smokers because he doesn't advertise much. Def worthy of sniffing out if you like Danish influence.
And yes. I agree. Kind of flat to not have pics handy already. But what the heck. I'm excited. Pics to follow.

pitchfork · Oct 23, 2013

I, for one, can't wait to see the pics. Was this an ebay purchase? If so, you could post a link to the auction.

dmcmtk · Oct 23, 2013

What a tease. Ok, seriously I am a devoted collector of Elliot's work. Here's a thought, I think Finn Meyan Andersen's influence on the pipe design at Briar Workshop was very important, he worked for Larsen before coming to the U.S. I have to agree, I don't have a single pipe, from any of the four periods of Elliot Nachwalter's carrer that is not a good smoker.
Dave

guhrillastile · Oct 23, 2013

No. It was a friend locally. Called and had a box. Was all excited to show me a couple of Thompson Meerschaums.
But there were also two nice Brebbia briar Calabash as well as a couple Triades. Bout a dozen Thompson briars and your typical smattering of estates. But no grabows. So I just bought them all.
Smoking a calabash I just just a new stem for not twenty minutes ago.

pitchfork · Oct 23, 2013

I think you're absolutely right, Dave, about the Finn Meyan Andersen influence. His pipes are rare, but some of them are pretty spectacular, especially in terms of straight grain.
Maybe it's just me, but I have had Nachwalter/Briar Workshop pipes that were not good smokers. I tend to like an open draft, so I usually get out my files and open up the draft hole if I otherwise like a pipe and decide to keep it. I've had a handful that were perfect, but most I've opened up a bit.
The full bent straight grain I bought this summer had a very restricted draw (for me) and I wouldn't have smoked it very much if I hadn't opened it up.
For me, I just love Nachwalter's sense of shape and design. I can't put my finger on it, but he has an artistic sense that hardly any other pipe maker has -- and this includes a bunch of people who otherwise make better pipes. I would rank Tonni Nielsen on a level with Nachwalter in terms of his command of shape and style. Alex Florov, maybe. Gert Holbek, certainly. Nordh and Chonowitsch. Karl Joura might squeak into the group.
But these guys have something (I obviously can't adequately describe) that others just don't have, no matter how skillful other makers might be as craftsmen.

guhrillastile · Oct 23, 2013

I saw the oval and jumped. Strange how I can take some of leave some. But particular makers just strike me. I think its stronger the more I'm making myself. The more intimately I feel the respect for makers that nail it with grain selection.
Nordh, was like a jedi with it. But just look through pipestudio.com and we all cringe at the prices, but boy that's nice briar! You gotta put in your due diligence to find and source it. But then read it and anticipate it. Then work backwards from the idea you have in your head already for it. I might not be making sense but it just really is exciting to see someone's work that "has it".
Skills are a given to bring it from concept to reality. But the minds eye working is clear when you see certain carvers work. I think Mr Nachwalter is one of them.

Ok. Enough talk. Brb with pics.

dmcmtk · Oct 23, 2013

Well, in fairness, my least smoked Briar Workshop pipe is a full bent from Coral Springs. It's stii fairly open, smoking it right now, not the best, but within the tolerable limit. To expand on Finn Meyan, Tonni Nielsen started at Larsen in 1969, worked with Former, and Teddy Knudsen. So Finn Meyan's period with Larsen was alongside these artists. When did Briar Workshop start 1975-6? I have a Larsen pipe that clearly shows the Teddy/Tonni design influence. I've been thinking of posting it alongside some Nachwalter pipes, you would appreciate the similarity.

guhrillastile · Oct 23, 2013

guhrillastile · Oct 23, 2013

pitchfork · Oct 23, 2013

Looks great so far.

guhrillastile · Oct 23, 2013

pitchfork · Oct 23, 2013

Sam, that pipe is spectacular. I can't believe it was priced at $48. I keep an eye on most of the estate dealers, but I didn't know JIP sold estates. Very cool.

guhrillastile · Oct 23, 2013

I sorta did rather extreme close ups. Please pardon. But generally my pictures are so terrible I wanted to make sure I could show her off.
She's still dirty, needs a cleaning and good wax job but definately going to go into the rotation and bump another.

guhrillastile · Oct 23, 2013

I hit it with a soft nylon to kick some of the dust out. But she's in great shape.

guhrillastile · Oct 23, 2013

Cluttering my own thread. But figure I might as well show this poor lil guy.
It's one of the Brebbia briar Calabash that was in the lot. Was one downright FUGGLY lil guy. You know the ones... You can't tell if they were smoking it, or gave up and had been using it to carry hot tar to do a roof job. Just cakes and covered in dried tar and stains. Scratches and oxidized stem broken as they get.
Accetone soak and scrub. Rebored, reamed and restained. Then polished and cut a new stem.... Not perfect. But a good smoker so far. Just finishing first bowl in her.

pitchfork · Oct 23, 2013

I have a Briar Workshop Dublin similar in shape to the OP, although the grain is not nearly as nice. It's a good pipe and it came in a really cool pipe tube from the 1970s Briar Workshop days -- how awesome would that have been to get in the mail?

guhrillastile · Oct 23, 2013

Same stem pattern. The Sharp cut freehand style. Very nice. Thanks for sharing it. Can't wait to get mine cleaned up.

durham270 · Oct 24, 2013

I recently acquired these two Briar Workshop Nachwalter pipes. Granted nothing compared to those wonderful pipes I see above. I've not had time yet to give these two a good buffing to try and bring the grain back out which they are in need of. Love all the pipes I've seen here!

fnord · Oct 24, 2013

Guhrillastile:
I think your new EN is a beauty and I'm happy for you. I got my first one several weeks ago and it's a joy to smoke.
For what it's worth, all the pipes displayed in this thread are gorgeous.
Dmcmtk, I'm fixing to send you a PM.
Fnord

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