Meet Hayden Varley
Hayden’s interest in blacksmithing began early, growing up in a small Southern Alberta town where his father, a heavy-duty mechanic, built his own blacksmithing equipment in his spare time. By eleven, Hayden was working alongside him in the forge, learning the basics while making knives and axes.
At sixteen, he knew he wanted to make a career of architectural blacksmithing. What followed was years of education, apprenticeships, welding and traditional forge work - learning from craftspeople in Canada and abroad and building the skills that would eventually become Varley Custom Ironworks.
A Craft Built Over Time
At eighteen, Hayden attended the Kootenay School of the Arts in Nelson, BC, where he expanded his blacksmithing skills and studied bronze casting. He later spent two seasons working with Master Blacksmith Mark Pearce in Cochrane before beginning a welding apprenticeship.
That apprenticeship took him through fabrication shops in both Canada and New Zealand, with work ranging from heavy-duty agricultural repairs to confined-space work in rail cars. In 2026, he completed his apprenticeship and earned his Red Seal.
Hayden spent two years as a project manager with Paul Reimer in Cranbrook, working alongside Master Smith Yuri Sokorchuk of Ukraine and blacksmiths from the Czech Republic and Bavaria. Those years brought together traditional European blacksmithing, modern fabrication and the practical welding experience he’d built throughout his career.
Have Something In Mind?
Whether it’s a custom railing, gate, lighting piece, repair or something a little different, we’d be happy to hear what you have in mind.
