Olsen (Henrik Olsen)

Olsen is the small pipe workshop that Danish maker Henrik Olsen (b. 1963) runs single-handedly in Grevinge on the island of Zealand. Olsen, who had no connection to pipe making until his forties, turned to the craft after leaving working life for health reasons and finished his first pipe in 2006. His output centers on classic shapes of moderate size and carries the "Olsen Denmark" stamp.

Workshop and Working Method

The workshop was created by thoroughly renovating an old barn next to the house: the floor was torn out and repoured, and the ceiling and walls were rebuilt. Olsen notes that this renovation was made possible with help from his family and friends. Fitting out the equipment was completed in January 2006; the first pipe emerged at that time as well.

Olsen says his approach to work rests on precision and care rather than speed, and adds that he enjoys working with well-maintained, functional tools. Production is one-man and does not follow a regular pace: he himself writes that pain left over from his accident keeps him from the bench entirely on some days. For this reason, briar pipes signed Olsen are seen less often than the products of Denmark's larger workshops.

The Road to Pipe Making

Olsen first trained as an auto mechanic, then worked as a technician for the Danish telecom company TDC. A workplace accident in 2001 ended this arrangement, and according to records he retired in February 2004. He had a great deal of free time but, unable to continue his old pursuits, needed to find new ones to replace them.

His first acquaintance with pipes goes back to 1988; he set the habit aside for a time after becoming a father. After retiring, he had pipe maker Lars Vig Norup make him a pipe and took up pipe smoking again. Seeing the workshop and hearing about the making process during that same visit gave rise to the idea of trying it himself. A lengthy preparation period followed: studying maker websites, reading books on pipe making, and planning a workshop space.

The Copenhagen Visit

In the fall of 2004 he traveled to Copenhagen to look at lathes, machines, and supplies. Basic materials such as sanding discs, sandpaper, and polish were bought from Gundel og Bergstrøm; afterward he visited Thurmann, whose workshop was in Copenhagen at the time. The day was rounded off at the Eltang workshop. Tom Eltang, as he had for many aspiring makers before Olsen, showed him around the workshop and explained how pipe making worked. Starting out by passing through the door of an established maker is a customary path within the Danish school; it is noted that Olsen's sandblasted surfaces are still prepared today using Eltang's sandblasting equipment.

Production centers on small and medium interpretations of classic shape families. The pipes carry the "Olsen Denmark" stamp; according to records, the workshop has no grading system.