About Us
The Story Behind the Forge
In 1983, Mike Tanner opened Yesteryear Forge. From behind the anvil and with his wife, Linda, behind the finances, the forge began to blossom into a successful, family-blacksmithing business. Through a combination of clever sales techniques and functional, yet unique hand-forged pieces, Yesteryear Forge arrived on the market ready to offer both special-order and wholesale items for its customers in specialty shops throughout several states in the East.
His expertise, vision, and craftsmanship reach beyond the creation of high-quality items born from the fires of Yesteryear Forge; a passion for the preservation of the blacksmithing trade is echoed in all of his philanthropic endeavors in his memberships in regional blacksmith organizations. Today, Mike is taking Yesteryear Forge into the future by focusing on form and function.
In the forge with Mike is his wife Linda who enjoys the practice of repousse under the treadle hammer. The patience and attention to detail in this area of metalwork is also apparent in her running the financial side of the forge.
In November 2003 Mike picked up an "apprentice", Peyton Anderson. With no experience behind the anvil he has been learning in the forge ever since. Today he is Mike's "right hand man" in the forge. He maintains the website and is also the salesman for the Yesteryear Tooling line at area conferences and events.
The subtle elegance of time-honored designs to the sublime artistic interpretations of everyday items shine through in the limitless creations from Yesteryear Forge. There is a true sense of pride, craftsmanship, and timeless skill in each and every item. By hammer in hand, these forged items will last a lifetime and truly become a great addition to your warm and inviting home.