Interesting Elliot Nachwalter Pipe - Pic Heavy

[agnosticpipe]

I recently won this on eBay for $55 and the main reason I wanted it was because I really liked the looks of it. I'd heard of Elliot Nachwalter before but knew little about him or his pipes. After doing some research, I found out that he's an interesting pipe maker that has been around since the late 60s I think. His output is rather sporadic, and he has set up camp to make pipes in 3 different places that I know about. Vermont, New York, and Florida. As near as I can tell, the stamping on this pipe puts it in the latest period of his pipe making starting about 1996 in Vermont. I am confused about the stamping on the right side that has the number 92 and a C. I was under the impression that the 92 meant the year it was made, but I didn't think he made pipes in Vermont until after 1996. I've gone through most of the posts about him on this forum, buts for some reason, they all seem to be 4-6 years old. Has he become a forgotten pipe maker? After looking at some of his designs, I think for me anyway, he is one of the best pipe makers I've seen. He seems to design the pipe around the grain in a very organic way.
This pipe is kind of a canted tulip? shape, and it needed some work to clean it up. I didn't realize it until I got the pipe that the stem wasn't vulcanite, it's actually a very dark brindle lucite. I don't think I've seen so much crusty slobber on a lucite stem before. It did clean up quite nice, but I'm on the fence about the shiny finish. It will probably dull up on it's own which I think I'll like better given its rustic looks.
Before:

After:

 

[virginialover]

What a beautiful and fascinating pipe, perfect for flakes.

 

[saltedplug]

Interesting. Tulip is correct or close to it. I've not seen many tulips and certainly not a canted tulip.

 

[philobeddoe]

Lovely pipe and it cleaned up wonderfully. I really like the brindle stem, it’s night and day better than the before pics.

 

[woodsroad]

Looks like you outbid me! Sorry if I made you pay more than you should have.

Great catch.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Pretty unique and a great job in bringing out the beauty.

 

[weezell]

Nice snag Orley! A Horney tulip maybe??? :rofl: ...

 

[dmcmtk]

The timing, roughly, Briar Workshop, Stowe VT 1975~6-79; Briar Workshop Coral Gables, Florida 1979; Pipeworks NYC 1980-89~90; Vermont USA the 1990's. Orley, your pipe is definitely from the last period, and the 92 is 1992.

 

[agnosticpipe]

Thanks guys! Except for you woodsroad, a pox on you! LOL Actually I didn't feel that I paid too much for it. Sometimes I see a pipe that just really speaks to me and I was prepared to pay more. I've never had a pipe with this much of a cant to the bowl, and I did try smoking some GH Rum Flake in it, but cube cut and rubbed out a little, I found it was initially a challenge to keep it in the bowl. No serious accidents, but maybe stuff and fold the next time. :roll:

 

[woodsroad]

I was also prepared to pay more Orley, but I've had some serious $ outlays recently and a pang of guilt shot through me at the last second. That and I bought this from Steve Fallon just a couple weeks prior.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Sweet pipe!!

 

[woodsroad]

By the way, the Nachwalter pipes look awful, smoke worse and smell like poo. If you see one for sale, just look the other way. You can thank me later.

 

[huntertrw]

Here is a link (oh, no, here we go again!) to Mr. Nachwalter's Website: Elliott Nachwalter Pipestudio.

 

[woodsroad]

You really don't care, do you, Hunter?

 

[huntertrw]

"What, Me Worry?"

 

[huntertrw]

By the way, Ms. Carole Burns (Mr. Nachwalter's ex-wife) sometimes offers estate Nachwalter pipes for sale on her Website (Pipeworks & Wilke).

 

[agnosticpipe]

Dan that pipe from Steve is outstanding! I can't believe that these pipes aren't selling for more. Oh, the pipe I got didn't smell like poo, but actually smelled of War Horse Green.
Hunter, after I got over being offended by being given a link, :mrgreen: I checked his site out and found it very interesting. Nice to see that he's still making pipes, but the prices are really up there now.

 

[woodsroad]

Oh, the pipe I got didn't smell like poo, but actually smelled of War Horse Green.

Ok, so it was worse.

 

[huntertrw]

Made from the finest hand-selected ingredients...

 

[pitchfork]

Great snag, Orley. I was watching this one, too. Glad it found a good home.

After looking at some of his designs, I think for me anyway, he is one of the best pipe makers I've seen. He seems to design the pipe around the grain in a very organic way.

I feel the same way. In terms of his sense of form, he's among the best ever. He had some kind of fine art training in college and it shows. On the other hand, he's never been a meticulous craftsman in the same way that most artisan pipe makers are today, so the quality of his pipes varies quite a bit.