Heeschen

Update: We are sad to report that Peter Heeschen has passed on from this World to join the great pipe makers that came before him, and prepare the way for those of us to follow. Although I am not sure of the details of his passing, word came to many of us through E-mail and social media on December 1st, 2015. Peter will be greatly missed, but thankfully, many wonderful examples of his work will live on, and remind us of his tremendous talent, and generous spirit. --sethile (talk) 16:14, 1 December 2015 (CST)
File:PeterHeescheen(Rex).jpg|Peter Heeschen
File:Ilsted Rex Heeschen Carl Knightenjpg.jpg|Left to Right, Poul Ilsted, J Rex Poggenpohl, Peter Heeschen, Carl Knighten
 
Peter Heeschen produced approximately 30 pipes per month on his small farm property near Odense. Mr. Heeschen's pipes are made from top quality aged briar. Each pipe will smoke like it is already broken in from the very first bowl. 
He has traveled many places since the start of his pipemaking career with numerous trips to pipe Shows in the U. S. A. and he has a large fan base there and in Japan.
Mr. Heeschen uses only top grade German Vulcanite, Cumberland, or Synthetic Amber for the Hand-Cut Stems. The mouth pieces are cut down to 3.7 mm to 4.2 mm for a very comfortable fit.
Mr. Heeschen uses antique Ivory, Whale Tooth, Silver, Bamboo, and many Exotic Hardwoods to decorate the stems or shanks of his pipes.
All of Peter Heeschen's pipes are drilled large for a good draw, and they will accommodate a large fluffy pipe cleaner. The engineering of each pipe is superb, and the tenon mortise connections fit perfectly with no gaps.
The following information was gleaned from Scandanavian Pipemakers, by Jan Andersson
Peter Heeschen was born in 1945 in Copenhagen, but has spent all his adult life in or around Odense. Today he lives in a rural area situated eight kilometers from Odense. He and had lived here for 20 years when late in 2009 Peter lost his wife, which has been a great tragedy in his life. She had taken a huge interest in their large estate, where they grew most of what they needed to survive. Now Peter is looking for a more managle place as without his beloved wife he no longer has the time or interest to take care of it all.
Peter's first pipe making experienced happened when he was 17 years old. His father made pipes from cherry wood and Peter though he would give it a try himself, just for fun at first, with no thought of a professional career. Instead, Peter trained to be a tool technician, a trade he worked in for 7 or 8 years, but he then took an interest in social welfare and worked as a social worker. Peter lost his job in social work due to cost reductions by his employer, and he found himself suddenly unemployed at the age of 53. He found it tough at the time, but now considers himself lucky for the change.
Peter had already been making a few pipes for expert to Germany by 1980, and sales were good at first, but the demand had dropped off. And now, 20 years later, with the loss of his primary income, he decided he would give pipe making another chance. He made some pipes, and a friend made him a website to market them. This proved to be an immediate success will all of his pipes selling quickly, with most of them going to the USA. Turned out Peter's timing was perfect as there was a huge demand for Danish High Grade pipes in 2000. The following year found him attending the Chicago Pipe show, and he has returned nearly every year since.
Heeschen is primarily self taught, and is currently making about 300 pipes a year. The most important markets are China, the US, and Japan, but he also has customers in Malaysia and China. While he did not travel much in his early years, developing and keeping up with his international reputations has taken him to all these places to attend shows and meet his customers. He combines business with pleasure. Sometimes to include a some fishing. His briar is from Calabria, and he maintains a large stock. He uses ebonite for stems, and Delrin for tenons. He makes his stems in batches, so he has them roughed in, often with inlay material of boxwood, mazur birch, or horn, so they are ready to match with a pipe for his final shapping and finishing processes. The pipes are smooth or sandblasted. He no longer rusticates pipes, and he no longer uses 9mm filters. The pipes are graded in three categories, A, B, and S, with S being the highest grade.
The following is a link to a complete 1999 brochure hosted here on Pipedia, courtesy, DanishPipeMakers.com.
 
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Contact Information:
 Peter Heeschen
 Nielstrupvej 5
 Holmstrup, DK-5250 Odense SV
 Denmark 
 
 Website: P.Heeschen-Pipes.Dk
 
Category: Pipe makers by nationalityCategory: Denmark