Blog by Steve Laug

The next pipe on the table is another NOS and UNSMOKED beauty. It is just dusty and dirty from sitting in a display case somewhere. We recently purchased it from an estate in Idaho. It is a smooth, dark stained ball shaped pipe with an inlaid coin on the left side of the bowl. The rim top and the inner edge are in excellent condition. It is stamped on the left side of the shank and reads Nording in script. On the underside of the shank it is stamped THE WM PIPE [over] MADE IN DENMARK. The coin on the side is stamped MEXICO arched over a soccer ball and arched underneath it reads VM 1986. The variation between the WM of the stamping and the VM on the coin are interesting. There is a light carbon bowl coating and the bowl was very clean and it is unsmoked. There is no smell of tobacco in the bowl. The rim top and the inner edge of the bowl looked very good. The mortise was also clean with no oils or tars darkening it. The bowl is stained in a dark walnut coloured stain. The vulcanite taper stem has some dust/dirt against the edge of the button. There were not any tooth marks or chatter on the top and underside on and near the button. There was no logo stamped on the left side of the stem. I took photos of the pipe before I started my cleanup work. They tell the story and give a glimpse of the promise that we see in this pipe.  I took a photo of the rim top and bowl to show the current condition. The rim top is in perfect condition with no nicks or flaws. The photo shows the clean walls on the bowl show the bowl coating and dust. The stem photos show a clean and well fit stem.I took photos of the of the side of the bowl to show the coin inset in the bowl side and the stamping on the left and underside of the shank. It is clear and readable as noted above but a bit hard to capture in the photos. I removed the stem from the shank and took photos of the overall look of the pipe. It is a beautiful pipe. I found a similar pipe on smokingpipes.com with a great description and clear information on it (https://www.smokingpipes.com/pipes/estate/denmark/moreinfo.cfm?product_id=552093). I quote the description and have included a photo below of the pipe. It has a different finish but it is the same pipe.

Handcrafting pipes since the 60s, there are few pipe makers more experienced than Erik Nørding. During his long career, Nørding espoused the Danish Fancy style, a maximalist aesthetic that delights in baroque flourishes. This Ball by Erik Nording is a fitting homage for the 1986 Mexico World Cup, which is memorialized by a metal button imprinted onto the left flank…I also found another similar pipe on Worthpoint, an auction site that confirmed the information other than calling it a golf ball pipe (https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/unsmoked-erik-nording-m-pipe-sterling-1915283149).

Knowing what I was dealing with I now turned my attention to the pipe itself. I decided to polish the briar with micromesh to see if I could make the opaque stain a little more transparent so that the grain would shine through. I dry sanded it with 1500-12000 grit micromesh sanding pads and wiped the bowl down with a damp cloth after each sanding pad. I worked some Before & After Restoration Balm into the surface of the briar with my fingertips to clean, enliven and protect the briar. I let the balm sit for 15 minutes and then buffed with a cotton cloth to raise the shine. The photos show the bowl at this point in the restoration process. I polished the stem with micromesh sanding pads – dry sanding with 1500-12000 grit sanding pads. I wiped it down after each sanding pad with Obsidian Oil. I finished hand polishing the stem with Before & After Pipe Stem Polish – both Fine and Extra Fine. I wiped it on with my fingers and buffed it off with a soft cloth. The stem really began to have a deep glow. I gave it a final wipe down with Obsidian Oil and set it aside to dry.I am excited to finish this Nording The WM Pipe Made in Denmark with a polished vulcanite stem. It is a great looking pipe made to commemorate the 1986 Mexico World Cup there is a metal medallion/coin inserted in the left side of the bowl.  I put the pipe back together and buffed it with Blue Diamond on the buffing wheel. I gave the bowl and the stem multiple coats of carnauba wax. I hand buffed the pipe with a clean buffing pad to raise the shine. It is fun to see what the polished bowl looks like with beautiful mixed grain around the bowl. The polished coin, rich walnut stain and the black vulcanite stem was beautiful. This smooth Nording The WM (VM) Pipe is great looking and the pipe feels great in my hand. It is light and well balanced. Have a look at it with the photos below. The dimensions are Length: 5 ½ inches, Height: 1 ½ inches, Outside diameter of the bowl: 1 inch, Chamber diameter: ¾ of an inch. The weight of the pipe is 37 grams/1.34 ounces. It turned out to be a beautiful pipe. I will be putting it on the rebornpipes store in the Danish Pipe Makers section. If you are interested in adding it to your rack let me know by message or by email to slaug@uniserve.com. Thanks for your time and as Paresh says each time he writes – Stay Safe.