Uncle Fester (author)
Encyclopedia
Uncle Fester is the nom de plume
of Steve Preisler, author of such controversial books as Secrets of Methamphetamine Manufacture, and Silent Death.
.
Preisler is an industrial chemist working in an electroplating
factory he calls "the rat hole". In his spare time, he writes books. Preisler graduated in 1981 from Marquette University
with a Chemistry & Biology degree. Two years later, he was arrested for methamphetamine
possession and was sentenced to probation. He was arrested again in 1984 for methamphetamine charges, and put in the Waupun Correctional Institution
. He says that the arrest was over a few grams of methamphetamine, but the Drug Enforcement Administration
(DEA) brought back credit card information saying that he had been buying large quantities of ephedrine
, which is a precursor for methamphetamine.
Outraged, Fester borrowed a typewriter from a fellow inmate, and began writing the manuscript for Secrets of Methamphetamine Manufacture. Loompanics Unlimited published the book, and it was an instant success. Secrets of Methamphetamine Manufacture is now in its eighth edition. It was one of Loompanics' best sellers. The book has information on how to produce crystal methamphetamine through over six different methods. It also has data on how to synthesize MDMA or MDA
, and how to synthesize methcathinone
by oxidation of ephedrine. It also contains syntheses for precursor materials such as phenylacetone
, ephedrine, methylamine
, and alkyl nitrite
s. Previous editions of Secrets of Methamphetamine Manufacture have had some criticism, see for example Eleusis Vs. Fester for discussion between Fester and English major Eleusis/Zwitterion.
Uncle Fester has since written six more books, Home Workshop Explosives, in which Fester goes into detail of how the underground chemist can easily manufacture his own explosives. Covering the manufacture of nitroglycerin as well as syntheses for RDX
, ammonium nitrate, acetone peroxide
blasting caps, nitroglycol, mannitol hexanitrate or nitromannitol, and PETN
. Not only does he offer the syntheses for the explosives, but also has information on how to purify glycerin, how to synthesize nitric acid
with minimal equipment, and how to make a Fuel-air explosive
(commonly known as an FAE). One reviewer of Home Workshop Explosives (David Harber, author of Guerrilla's Arsenal) notes that although the chemistry is solid, the chapter on Detonation Systems "borders on insanity."
One of his most deadly books is Silent Death, which describes routes for manufacturing nerve gases (such as tabun
and sarin
gas), botulinum (botulin toxin), ricin
, phosgene
, arsine
, and other poisons.
Vest Busters is Fester's smallest book. It goes over easy methods for creating Teflon
coated bullets, and other vest penetrating ammunition. It has since been determined that the addition of a Teflon coating to a projectile has little or no effect on its ability to penetrate bullet-resistant vests.
Practical LSD Manufacture is one of Fester's more famous books. It deals with how one could manufacture a large quantity of LSD
. This book is filled up with most of the hard-to-understand information on LSD syntheses that is currently available. The book has production information for the drug TMA-2
, and plenty of information about how to isolate lysergic acid
from morning glory
seeds, and other plant material. This work is not without its criticisms: the use of more outdated syntheses from the 1950s and 1960s, lacking the synthesis using POCl3
as a dehydrating reagent in the condensation between diethylamine
and lysergic acid; the speculation about "Method X" is erroneous, as propionic anhydride is used in the synthesis of fentanyl analogues; and there is some confusion over stereoisomers by Fester. These criticisms are addressed in the third edition of the book.
A more advanced 'add-on' for "Secrets of Methamphetamine Manufacture" is his book "Advanced Techniques of Clandestine Psychedelic & Amphetamine Manufacture". The main focus of the book is to provide a more advanced method of synthesizing methamphetamine using what is called "The Fester Formula," which describes how to manufacture methamphetamine through an electric synthesis. The book also covers many alternative methods for manufacturing phenylacetone
and methylamine
. One chapter of the book, "A Convenient Tabletop MDA Synthesis" describes an alternative method for synthesizing MDA in a small area such as a dorm room using raney nickel which is extremely dangerous.
His newest book, Bloody Brazilian Knife Fightin' Techniques covers methods for common fighting techniques from Brazil. Here Fester talks about some of his adventures in Brazil with some Brazilian friends and how he learned some lethal techniques in knife fighting.
Pen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
of Steve Preisler, author of such controversial books as Secrets of Methamphetamine Manufacture, and Silent Death.
Short bio
Preisler gained underground fame after publishing his first book "Secrets of Methamphetamine Manufacture" in the early 1980s. He says that he got the nickname "Uncle Fester" from his college years, since he was very well known for producing explosives, and blowing things up, like the character in The Addams FamilyThe Addams Family
The Addams Family is a group of fictional characters created by American cartoonist Charles Addams. As named by Charles Addams, the Addams Family characters include Gomez, Morticia, Uncle Fester, Lurch, Grandmama, Wednesday, Pugsley, and Thing....
.
Preisler is an industrial chemist working in an electroplating
Electroplating
Electroplating is a plating process in which metal ions in a solution are moved by an electric field to coat an electrode. The process uses electrical current to reduce cations of a desired material from a solution and coat a conductive object with a thin layer of the material, such as a metal...
factory he calls "the rat hole". In his spare time, he writes books. Preisler graduated in 1981 from Marquette University
Marquette University
Marquette University is a private, coeducational, Jesuit, Roman Catholic university located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1881, the school is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities...
with a Chemistry & Biology degree. Two years later, he was arrested for methamphetamine
Methamphetamine
Methamphetamine is a psychostimulant of the phenethylamine and amphetamine class of psychoactive drugs...
possession and was sentenced to probation. He was arrested again in 1984 for methamphetamine charges, and put in the Waupun Correctional Institution
Waupun Correctional Institution
The Waupun Correctional Institution is a maximum security penitentiary near the center of Waupun, Wisconsin. The prison is currently under the command of Warden William Pollard.-History:...
. He says that the arrest was over a few grams of methamphetamine, but the Drug Enforcement Administration
Drug Enforcement Administration
The Drug Enforcement Administration is a federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Justice, tasked with combating drug smuggling and use within the United States...
(DEA) brought back credit card information saying that he had been buying large quantities of ephedrine
Ephedrine
Ephedrine is a sympathomimetic amine commonly used as a stimulant, appetite suppressant, concentration aid, decongestant, and to treat hypotension associated with anaesthesia....
, which is a precursor for methamphetamine.
Outraged, Fester borrowed a typewriter from a fellow inmate, and began writing the manuscript for Secrets of Methamphetamine Manufacture. Loompanics Unlimited published the book, and it was an instant success. Secrets of Methamphetamine Manufacture is now in its eighth edition. It was one of Loompanics' best sellers. The book has information on how to produce crystal methamphetamine through over six different methods. It also has data on how to synthesize MDMA or MDA
3,4-Methylenedioxyamphetamine
3,4-Methylenedioxyamphetamine , also known as tenamfetamine , is a psychedelic and entactogenic drug of the phenethylamine and amphetamine chemical classes...
, and how to synthesize methcathinone
Methcathinone
Methcathinone , is a psychoactive stimulant, sometimes used as a recreational drug and considered addictive. It is usually snorted, but can be smoked, injected, or taken orally...
by oxidation of ephedrine. It also contains syntheses for precursor materials such as phenylacetone
Phenylacetone
Phenylacetone , is an organic compound. It is a clear oil with a refractive index of 1.5168. This substance is used in the manufacture of methamphetamine and amphetamine as a starting material or intermediate, where it is commonly known as P2P...
, ephedrine, methylamine
Methylamine
Methylamine is the organic compound with a formula of CH3NH2. This colourless gas is a derivative of ammonia, but with one H atom replaced by a methyl group. It is the simplest primary amine. It is sold as a solution in methanol, ethanol, THF, and water, or as the anhydrous gas in pressurized...
, and alkyl nitrite
Amyl nitrite
Amyl nitrite is the chemical compound with the formula C5H11ONO. A variety of isomers are known, but they all feature an amyl group attached to the nitrito functional group. The alkyl group is unreactive and the chemical and biological properties are mainly due to the nitrite group...
s. Previous editions of Secrets of Methamphetamine Manufacture have had some criticism, see for example Eleusis Vs. Fester for discussion between Fester and English major Eleusis/Zwitterion.
Uncle Fester has since written six more books, Home Workshop Explosives, in which Fester goes into detail of how the underground chemist can easily manufacture his own explosives. Covering the manufacture of nitroglycerin as well as syntheses for RDX
RDX
RDX, an initialism for Research Department Explosive, is an explosive nitroamine widely used in military and industrial applications. It was developed as an explosive which was more powerful than TNT, and it saw wide use in WWII. RDX is also known as cyclonite, hexogen , and T4...
, ammonium nitrate, acetone peroxide
Acetone peroxide
Acetone peroxide is an organic peroxide and a primary high explosive. It takes the form of a white crystalline powder with a distinctive bleach-like odor....
blasting caps, nitroglycol, mannitol hexanitrate or nitromannitol, and PETN
PETN
Pentaerythritol tetranitrate , also known as PENT, PENTA, TEN, corpent, penthrite , is the nitrate ester of pentaerythritol. Penta refers to the five carbon atoms of the neopentane skeleton.PETN is most well known as an explosive...
. Not only does he offer the syntheses for the explosives, but also has information on how to purify glycerin, how to synthesize nitric acid
Nitric acid
Nitric acid , also known as aqua fortis and spirit of nitre, is a highly corrosive and toxic strong acid.Colorless when pure, older samples tend to acquire a yellow cast due to the accumulation of oxides of nitrogen. If the solution contains more than 86% nitric acid, it is referred to as fuming...
with minimal equipment, and how to make a Fuel-air explosive
Fuel-air explosive
A fuel-air explosive device consists of a container of fuel and two separate explosive charges. After the munition is dropped or fired, the first explosive charge bursts open the container at a predetermined height and disperses the fuel in a cloud that mixes with atmospheric oxygen...
(commonly known as an FAE). One reviewer of Home Workshop Explosives (David Harber, author of Guerrilla's Arsenal) notes that although the chemistry is solid, the chapter on Detonation Systems "borders on insanity."
One of his most deadly books is Silent Death, which describes routes for manufacturing nerve gases (such as tabun
Tabun (nerve agent)
Tabun or GA is an extremely toxic chemical substance. It is a clear, colorless, and tasteless liquid with a faint fruity odor. It is classified as a nerve agent because it fatally interferes with normal functioning of the mammalian nervous system...
and sarin
Sarin
Sarin, or GB, is an organophosphorus compound with the formula [2CHO]CH3PF. It is a colorless, odorless liquid, which is used as a chemical weapon. It has been classified as a weapon of mass destruction in UN Resolution 687...
gas), botulinum (botulin toxin), ricin
Ricin
Ricin , from the castor oil plant Ricinus communis, is a highly toxic, naturally occurring protein. A dose as small as a few grains of salt can kill an adult. The LD50 of ricin is around 22 micrograms per kilogram Ricin , from the castor oil plant Ricinus communis, is a highly toxic, naturally...
, phosgene
Phosgene
Phosgene is the chemical compound with the formula COCl2. This colorless gas gained infamy as a chemical weapon during World War I. It is also a valued industrial reagent and building block in synthesis of pharmaceuticals and other organic compounds. In low concentrations, its odor resembles...
, arsine
Arsine
Arsine is the chemical compound with the formula AsH3. This flammable, pyrophoric, and highly toxic gas is one of the simplest compounds of arsenic...
, and other poisons.
Vest Busters is Fester's smallest book. It goes over easy methods for creating Teflon
Polytetrafluoroethylene
Polytetrafluoroethylene is a synthetic fluoropolymer of tetrafluoroethylene that finds numerous applications. PTFE is most well known by the DuPont brand name Teflon....
coated bullets, and other vest penetrating ammunition. It has since been determined that the addition of a Teflon coating to a projectile has little or no effect on its ability to penetrate bullet-resistant vests.
Practical LSD Manufacture is one of Fester's more famous books. It deals with how one could manufacture a large quantity of LSD
LSD
Lysergic acid diethylamide, abbreviated LSD or LSD-25, also known as lysergide and colloquially as acid, is a semisynthetic psychedelic drug of the ergoline family, well known for its psychological effects which can include altered thinking processes, closed and open eye visuals, synaesthesia, an...
. This book is filled up with most of the hard-to-understand information on LSD syntheses that is currently available. The book has production information for the drug TMA-2
Trimethoxyamphetamine
TMAs, also known as trimethoxyamphetamines, are a family of isomeric psychedelic hallucinogenic drugs. There exist six different TMAs that differ only in the position of the three methoxy groups: TMA, TMA-2, TMA-3, TMA-4, TMA-5, and TMA-6. The TMAs are analogs of the phenethylamine cactus alkaloid...
, and plenty of information about how to isolate lysergic acid
Lysergic acid
Lysergic acid, also known as D-lysergic acid and -lysergic acid, is a precursor for a wide range of ergoline alkaloids that are produced by the ergot fungus and some plants. Amides of lysergic acid, lysergamides, are widely used as pharmaceuticals and as psychedelic drugs...
from morning glory
Morning glory
Morning glory is a common name for over 1,000 species of flowering plants in the family Convolvulaceae, whose current taxonomy and systematics is in flux...
seeds, and other plant material. This work is not without its criticisms: the use of more outdated syntheses from the 1950s and 1960s, lacking the synthesis using POCl3
Phosphoryl chloride
Phosphoryl chloride is a colourless liquid with the formula 3. It hydrolyses in moist air to phosphoric acid to release choking fumes of hydrogen chloride. It is manufactured industrially on a large scale from phosphorus trichloride and oxygen or phosphorus pentoxide...
as a dehydrating reagent in the condensation between diethylamine
Diethylamine
Diethylamine is a secondary amine with the molecular structure CH3CH2NHCH2CH3. It is a flammable, strongly alkaline liquid. It is miscible with water and ethanol. It is a colorless liquid which often appears brown due to impurities...
and lysergic acid; the speculation about "Method X" is erroneous, as propionic anhydride is used in the synthesis of fentanyl analogues; and there is some confusion over stereoisomers by Fester. These criticisms are addressed in the third edition of the book.
A more advanced 'add-on' for "Secrets of Methamphetamine Manufacture" is his book "Advanced Techniques of Clandestine Psychedelic & Amphetamine Manufacture". The main focus of the book is to provide a more advanced method of synthesizing methamphetamine using what is called "The Fester Formula," which describes how to manufacture methamphetamine through an electric synthesis. The book also covers many alternative methods for manufacturing phenylacetone
Phenylacetone
Phenylacetone , is an organic compound. It is a clear oil with a refractive index of 1.5168. This substance is used in the manufacture of methamphetamine and amphetamine as a starting material or intermediate, where it is commonly known as P2P...
and methylamine
Methylamine
Methylamine is the organic compound with a formula of CH3NH2. This colourless gas is a derivative of ammonia, but with one H atom replaced by a methyl group. It is the simplest primary amine. It is sold as a solution in methanol, ethanol, THF, and water, or as the anhydrous gas in pressurized...
. One chapter of the book, "A Convenient Tabletop MDA Synthesis" describes an alternative method for synthesizing MDA in a small area such as a dorm room using raney nickel which is extremely dangerous.
His newest book, Bloody Brazilian Knife Fightin' Techniques covers methods for common fighting techniques from Brazil. Here Fester talks about some of his adventures in Brazil with some Brazilian friends and how he learned some lethal techniques in knife fighting.
Books by Uncle Fester
- Advanced Techniques of Clandestine Psychedelic & Amphetamine Manufacture. ISBN 1-55950-174-X.
- Home Workshop Explosives, Second Edition. ISBN 0-9701485-4-2.
- Practical LSD Manufacture. ISBN 1-55950-123-5.
- Secrets of Methamphetamine Manufacture Sixth Edition with Recipes for MDA, Ecstacy, and other Psychedelic Amphetamines. ISBN 1-55950-223-1.
- Silent Death, Revised and Expanded Second Edition. ISBN 0-9701485-3-4.
- Vest Busters: How to Make your Own Body-Armor-Piercing Bullets. ISBN 0-9701485-1-8.
- Bloody Brazilian Knife Fightin' Techniques ISBN 0-9701485-5-0.
External links
- Uncle Fester's official website
- Review of "Silent Death" in EuroHacker Magazine
- Review of "Secrets of Methamphetamine Manufacture" in EuroHacker Magazine
- Review of "Bloody Brazilian Knife Fightin' Techniques" in EuroHacker Magazine