Thank you for visiting my website!
Here, you can learn more about Van’s Iron Works and how my passion for blacksmithing was ignited.
My great-grandfather was a blacksmith. He immigrated from the Netherlands in 1911 and started Van’s Iron Works in Kalamazoo, Michigan. I inherited some of his tools while I was in my teens and developed a passion for the art of blacksmithing, a passion I’m still cultivating today.
I’m thankful for my Dad fully supporting and investing in my passion! I have great memories of the two of us traveling many miles and acquiring all the tools needed to furnish the shop. Many of these tools are hard to find. We’d get a lead on an anvil or post vise and go check it out, sometimes traveling out of state. We were blessed with being able to acquire nice, and oftentimes rare, pieces, and we had a lot of fun and neat experiences along the way!
With the heat of the forge, iron can be shaped between the hammer and anvil in ways that cannot be achieved any other way. While closely matching pieces can be made by hand forging, no two will be exactly the same, creating unique one-of-a-kind projects. The possibilities are almost endless!
I’m looking forward to working with you to make your ideas become a reality!
- Pete VanDyken, owner of Van's Iron Works
