This year (2008) it is 25 years since I started making mouthpieces in Kai Nielsens workshop in a backyard behind a pub in Kolding. After the day’s work, I would stay in the workshop for several hours making my own pipes, which I sold to local people. I spent so many hours (working) during daytime and evenings, that it cost me my first marriage. In the following years, while I was still working for Kai, I started to buy tools and machines. And finally in 1989 I was ready. My first workshop was on the second floor in another backyard. One of my friends, who was playing in a band, and I rented the whole second floor of the house. I got 2 rooms for my workshop, and he got the rest where he could practice with his band. Downstairs there was an undertaker. 2 years later we (my wife and I) bought our own house, and I got the basement, where I still am working. I live in an old house on the outskirts of the city Kolding with my wife Else who is a social worker, and our two daughters Tine, who is 18 years old and Anne who is 16. They are both in high school here in Kolding. Our area is with the typical Danish humour, called Alpedalen (The Alp Valley). Alpedalen is a valley formed by the last ice age with a little creek running through. Here I walk every day with my dog (black Labrador). Pipes are my passion. I love to make pipes, and I seek to create the perfect pipe every time. The perfect pipe for me is a pipe that has the right proportions, so that nothing disturbs your eyes. It must be light, not too much wood but just enough to smoke well. Finish is of course a vital issue, it must be warm and with contrast so you can enjoy the grain. Mouthpiece is also important, because here you are closest to the pipe. What I prefer is a slim mouthpiece with a saddle, short or longer, and a bite that is 3.7- 3.8 mm. thick. I make about 100 pipes a year. My production has gone down over the last 4-5 years, but in the same time the quality of my pipes has gone up. The main reason for my improvement is that 4 years ago I stopped working with the sanding band, and switched to sanding the pipes by hand. This made me able to make more detailed models and of course a much better finish. I also select my wood (mostly Italian) in the highest quality, and the ebonite is of course of the best clarinet quality.