Knudsen, Sven: Difference between revisions

'''[[Poul Rasmussen]]''', who himself was hardly more than an apprentice at that time and still being instructed in pipemaking by '''[[Sixten Ivarsson]]''', who for his part was about to leave and join '''Poul Nielsen''' (→ [[Stanwell]]), picked him up and introduced him to the famous '''[[Suhr's Pibemageri]]''' (pipe workshop) in 1956. Sven Knudsen, as all the others too, started with repairing pipes. But revealing enormous talent and dedicative diligence, he soon proceeded to make complete pipes on his own. And all too soon a considerable share of responsibility for the workshop pressed on his shoulders, because Poul Rasmussen was not only an exceptionally gifted pipemaker but also a very worldly and gregarious man, who left the workbench often enough to join some jovial company for a nice chat and a glass of beer. So Sven Knudsen ended up designing many of the shapes and carving many of the pipes subsequently identified with and credited to Rasmussen. At Suhr's, he hired and trained '''Hans Jonny Nielsen''', who became famous under his nickname [[Former]] lateron.

Four years later, in 1963, he decidided to move to the countryside. So he closed his Copenhagen workshop and resigned from Larsen after he had urgently ensured that Former Nielsen succeeded him as workshop manager at W.Ø. Larsen. In Tappernoje, a hamlet belonging to the small town of Præstoe on the Island of Fyn, he bought a house and established an all-new workshop. There he lived from 1963 - 1973.

[[Image:KnudsenS2.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Sven Knudsen]]

Sven had been suffering from health issues (diabetes) before. But now, in 1997, things got worse. The diabetes caused an onset of severe neuritis and peripheral neuropathy, a partly very painful desease impairing his dexterity significantly. As if this wasn't enough, a severe allergic reaction - of all things to the dust of briar! - now forced him to close his workshop for official records.

When these sad news on Sven Knudsen's situation reached America, some of his friends and earlier dealers got together and organized charity sales to support him. '''Michael Parks, Paul Bonaquisti, Tim West, Michael Lindner''' and other pipemakers more are credited to contribute pipes from their production to aid their seriously invalid colleague.

 

[[Image:KnudsenT2.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Teddy inspecting his brother's last remaining pipes]]

Finally, in Spring of 2004, Sven Knudsen had to quit making pipes once and for all. His brother Teddy came to his help. Teddy picked up the very last pipes from Sven's workshop and assisted by young pipemaker '''Lasse Skovgaard Jørgensen''' he finished and stamped them. Of course the funds from sale were entirely dedicated to Sven!