AN INTERNATIONALLY renowned tattoo artist has turned his hand to manufacturing after inventing tattooing machines that he sells around the world.
Richard “Bez” Beston, the owner of TripleSix Studios in Sunderland, started manufacturing tattoo machines in his spare time after he began suffering from arthritis.
The idea was to create a machine that was more-lightweight than traditional tattoo equipment, with Mr Beston’s inventions getting interest from other body ink artists who were also looking for alternative machinery.
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After initially building the machines in an office above his studio on Fawcett Street, he brought in friend and colleague Tim Kingsbury to help him with the assembly and distribution of orders and added new products that he could make using 3D printers.
Using the brand new EGO, Mr Beston has diversified his products into other areas, including the dental and medical industries, as well as bringing to market a patented grip for the Apple Pen, aimed at helping people with a range of conditions embrace new technologies.
He said: “I’ve always been something of an inventor. In fact, my career started as a games developer when I moved to the US at 21 and I’ve always been interested in designing and finding new ways to improve things.
“After taking a break from the industry, I started tattooing and I fell in love with it. Since then, I’ve tattooed people across the globe. I must’ve clocked up thousands of air miles!
“However, it wasn’t until further down the line in my career that I decided to turn my hand to designing my own tattoo machines. I started suffering from arthritis a few years back and noticed that there was nothing on the market that could aid myself and others suffering from the condition, so I thought, ‘why not design and make one myself?’”
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Mr Beston initially worked to fund the business himself, at one stage tattooing seven days a week to fund research and development.
Richard Beston Designs Ltd now has distribution partners across the globe and sells its machines and EGO accessories to customers in markets as far away as the US, Russia, China and even India.
He has been supported in that global drive by Sunderland Software Centre, which was helped with broadband and meeting facilities, as well as business advice.
Mr Beston said: “Whenever we need advice, there’s someone there to help. The collaborative approach of the businesses in here is fantastic and has opened a lot of doors for us.
“I’ve always been guilty of, ‘right, I’m doing everything myself’ but there’s only so much you can do before you run out of steam. It’s great to be able to just walk down the corridor and knock on someone’s door and there you have it, there’s someone there to help.”
Coun Graeme Miller, leader of Sunderland City Council, said: “Sunderland has always been a city famed for its inventors, from Joseph Swan to Sir William Mills, the city has a rich engineering and manufacturing heritage.
“It’s also a city which is adapting to the digital-age and Bez is a perfect example of this. By embracing new technologies such as 3D Printing and fusing it with his entrepreneurial, can-do attitude, he is once again helping put Sunderland on the map not only as a city moving into the digital-age, but a city built on innovation.”