Reformed gang member uses a GRINDER to remove gang tattoos on his face after turning his life around

Eriks Mackus has turned his life around after multiple jail stints before the age of 20

He spent his teen years in a street gang and stole cars

Gang tattoos covered his face and held him back from finding work

He had them removed with a wire wheel

A Florida man who has turned his life around after multiple prison stints had face tattoos removed with a welding tool.

Eriks Mackus, 22, of Clearwater, was nearing the end of his two-year welding course when he realized the gang tattoos on his face would make it difficult to get a job – so he had a classmate remove them with a wire wheel.

A wire wheel is a grinder used to prepare a surface of the objects to be welded prior to the procedure, it stripped several layers of skin and the tattoos off Mackus’ face. All that remains is red skin that looks similar to a rash.



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Before and after: Eriks Mackus had the tattoos shown in this mug shot removed from his face with a wire wheel, the only remnants that remained were irritated skin

Mackus has a long criminal record dating back to when he was only 12-years-old, when he joined a gang while in juvenile detention for stealing a golf cart, he told the Tampa Bay Times.

He soon began melting down checkers and combining the goo with grease, toothpaste and pencil lead to create tattoo ink.

The troubled teen then used paper clips to tattoo a crudely drawn gun and the words ‘Money Hungry’ across his chest, he told the paper.

He landed back in juvi after stealing multiple cars, more tattoo followed.

More tattoos followed.

The state of Florida on his right cheek, the Pinellas County area code (727) on his left cheek, the ‘187’ police call for murder on his Adam’s apple, flames on his fingers, dollar signs on his ear lobes, his gang name ‘Cracka Mac’ on his forearm and several others on his hands and neck.

Mackus had grown close with longtime student Brian Bodlak, who had become a mentor to the young man.

‘It's going to be difficult to get a job with those on your face,’ Mackus recalled Bodlak tell him earlier this year.







Ink free: A crudely drawn outline of Florida and the 727 area code for Pinellas County, where Mackus is from, have been ground off his face

Tattoo removal: Mackus had a classmate use a wire wheel similar to this one to remove the tattoos on his face

Eight laser tattoo removal treatments and $150 payments later there was little progress, so he did what anyone would do – took drastic action.

The ex-con bought gauze, hydrogen peroxide, an 18-pack of Budweiser and a bottle of Sailor Jerry Rum for Labor Day Weekend 2012. But it was not for a party.

Sailor Jerry Collins, the rum’s namesake, is ironically one of the most famous tattoo artists ever, and counts Ed hardy among his protégés.

Mackus said he chugged all 18 beers and went to work on the rum by the time Bodlak showed up with his welding toolkit.

Bodlak was tasked with removing the ink with the wire wheel while Mackus drank to numb the pain.

The 727 was removed first, and with it when a good amount of blood and layers of skin.

hard at work: Mackus welding two pipes together during a recent class before passing his final exam

Mackus down another shot every time he felt pain, he cried but did not scream.

The Florida tattoo was ripped from his face a few weeks later, but the process damaged Mackus’ right eye. It took months for his vision to return to normal, but two tattoos were now gone.

A pending criminal case against him was soon dismissed, leaving his final welding test as his only hurdle to work.

Mackus struggled but passed, and now has work with a local welding union.

He also has stayed out of trouble and away from melted checkers and tattoo parlors.



