"Free Fester" - White Tee

This is a limited 200 shirt edition, 100% of the profit from these shirts goes to Uncle Fester's legal defense. 

After earning his BSc in chemistry and biology from Marquette University in 1981, Uncle Fester built his first clandestine lab and began synthesizing methamphetamine. His activities quickly caught the attention of law enforcement—he was arrested in 1983 for methamphetamine possession and sentenced to probation. A year later, he was arrested again on methamphetamine-related charges and imprisoned.

It was in prison that Fester pivoted from hands-on synthesis to chemistry education. Using a borrowed typewriter, he wrote Secrets of Methamphetamine Manufacture, a book that has since been published in eight editions. This seminal work was followed by Home Workshop Explosives, Vest Busters, Practical LSD Manufacture, and Silent Death.

While in prison, Fester decided to shift his focus from lab work to chemistry education. Borrowing a typewriter from a fellow inmate, he wrote his first book: Secrets of Methamphetamine Manufacture, which has since been printed in eight editions. Secrets of Methamphetamine Manufacture was followed by several other books, including Home Workshop Explosives, Vest Busters, Practical LSD Manufacture, and Silent Death.

His book Silent Death, which covers methods for synthesizing chemical and biological weapons, was controversially linked to the Aum Shinrikyo Tokyo subway attack in 1995, as Japanese police found a copy of the book during their investigations into the cult’s sarin gas production. His notoriety grew further in 1999, when he pioneered instructional methamphetamine synthesis video with Cooking Crank with Uncle Fester. His many contributions to public understanding of chemistry range from working as a consultant on the production of Breaking Bad to helping create an online space that would later become The Hive, one of the most influential underground forums for clandestine chemistry. 

Uncle Fester’s brazen public persona and dedication to spreading synthetic knowledge have made him a popular target for law enforcement. Online records show Green Bay police have been called to Fester's home nearly 200 times since 2015. In 2023 Fester was the victim of a raid by law enforcement initiated by an acquaintance that (allegedly) sold methamphetamine to an undercover officer. Fester's criminal charges continued to mount after he was arrested at a traffic stop in possession of Cannabis. As a result, his home was seized, and he is now homeless and awaiting trial on multiple charges, including possession of amphetamine with intent to deliver.

Fester has always been a controversial figure, both in law enforcement and the clandestine chemistry community he helped create, but it’s crucial to support those who have sacrificed so much to spread the joy of organic synthesis. The money from these shirts will support Fester's legal defense and the fight to regain his home.