thePULSEMaking Life Easier for Tattoo Artists
By Suzy Geers
If you’re planning on getting inked soon, check out Massachusetts ‘ own, Borg Tattoo – an innovative business started by two brothers born with a knack to mechanically create and alter all things aluminum.
The Borgs are machine shop royalty: Karl Borg (grandfather) started “parent” company Borg Design in 1945, manufacturing, producing, and engineering high quality parts for the military, medical, and high tech industries. Second generation Karl earned a degree in engineering from Norwich, and joined his father’s booming business in the late 1970s. Enter third generation apprentices Brandon and Andrew,?who now hold court with the family’s newest division, Borg Tattoo Machine.
The brothers were looking to make their mark when a tattoo session at West Boylston’s Zaza Ink turned into Brandon’s brainchild. He recalls, “It started when I went to Zaza to get some work done. Joe Peterson (mastermind, tattoo artist extraordinaire) saw my truck which says we’re a machine shop. He was looking for someone to make awards plaques for their tattoo festival.” ?That was just the beginning, and soon the Borgs were coming up with new machine prototypes after analyzing one of Joe’s older machines that were cumbersome for the tattoo artist to use. Retooling it “…wasn’t as hard as we thought, so now we’re amping up production!”
The college-degreed engineers considered the inaccuracy of the heavyweight motor that caused twisting, and thus revolutionized an industry.?Borg machines are balanced and lightweight, allowing the tattoo artist more freedom and control for clearer, more exact designs.
The brothers?explain that many tattoo artists try to design their own machines, but, “They don’t really know what they’re doing from a mechanical functionality. It looks cool and works and that’s just about it. Ours is well engineered and designed, efficient, and effective; it’s repeatable and very consistent.”
Borg Tattoo Machine is sponsoring the grand unveiling of its machine at the Muddy Water Tattoo Convention in Davenport , Iowa from October 23-25. They plan to give away a machine a day to the best tat design. Locally, it’s the Massachusetts Tattoo and Arts Festival in March of 2010.? Borg and fellow sponsor Zaza Ink encourage tattoo artists to stop by the Borg All Star booth and use their machines during the three day fest! Test drive before you buy! And fellow made-in Massachusetts rockers, Borg wants you!! Borg Tattoo would love to sponsor a band ~ tattoos and rock and roll, it doesn’t get much better than that!
Wonderful article, well written and informative.