Tom Eltang: Smooth Elephant's Foot with Horn (Snail) Tobacco Pipe

Product Number: 002-299-1483

Tom Eltang is one of Denmark's most well-respected artisans, his style often typified by works that lean heavily on the Danish Functionalist aesthetic, prioritizing clean lines and functionality above any extra ostentations. With almost 50 years of experience and a prolific work ethic, the Danish artisan produces shapes both classic and unique with equal skill and brings that talent to bear here with a stunning Elephant's Foot. The shape was first made by the late Swedish carving legend Bo Nordh, whose devotion to and skill in reading briar grain was remarkable. Tom's renditions of the shape are wonderfully realized, with his keen attention to detail readily visible in those he produces.

An Elephant's Foot is all about finding a perfect block of briar for the shape, reading it correctly, and shaping it with enough skill to bring out the grain on a versatile arrangement of surfaces. Tom has done so masterfully, using a deep chestnut contrast stain and smooth finish to show off horizontal grain that runs with, not across, the length of the pipe. Tight striations race across the entire paneled circumference of the bowl and up the shank, while the ample, rounded fore and towering aft surfaces are both resplendent with tight clusters of birdseye: the fore panel's display being an especially densely populous showcase of the grain. The shank, too, shows off some impressive grain, with the entire short stretch almost completely rounded by cross grain.

The upswept shank is seamlessly joined to a comparatively lengthy extension of horn, one which flares out of the shank and expands to reach a broad, subtly domed face at a single ridge which denotes the start of this face. The face not only introduces some understated rounding at the aft portion of this pipe, but it's been inlaid with a trim band of brass, offering a sturdy, pressure-style mount that marries the shank to the stem. Said stem is a sleek, stylized taper of black vulcanite that showcases a firm expansion ring at the end, matching the flare of the horn before its demurely downturned bit takes hold, offering a comfortable smoking posture. The fit and finish of this pipe are exemplary, and Tom has awarded it his prestigious Snail grade, an honor reserved for pieces with outstanding grain quality and orientation.

-John McElheny
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Measurements & Other Details

  • Length: 5.72 in./145.29 mm.
  • Weight: 2.46 oz./69.85 g.
  • Bowl Height: 2.73 in./69.34 mm.
  • Chamber Depth: 1.97 in./50.04 mm.
  • Chamber Diameter: 0.77 in./19.56 mm.
  • Outside Diameter: 2.00 in./50.80 mm.
  • Stem Material: Vulcanite
  • Filter: None
  • Shape: Freehand
  • Finish: Smooth
  • Material: Briar
  • Country: Denmark
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