"Chris Lewis" wrote in message
...
The other difficulty is what you use for strap. I use #18 guage
stranded wire, with the strands spread flat. However, that still usually
leaves a lump, which can make getting the batteries to fit properly
a bit of a pain.

Next time I'm going to experiment with some copper tape (still soldered).

Hey Chris- if you have a hobby shop that's nearby- look for the k&s
materials that are commonly used by model railroaders- they have a tin
plated sheet that can easily br cut with a old scissors- like 8 thou thick-
used em for my rebuilds using salvaged surplus cell and they work fine for
contact strips. alternatively if you are good with some needle nose pliers
you can break the old strips loose about half the time and reuse them.
takes some wiggling and torquing to the batt at the same time allpy some
pull(rolling) on the pliers. Pat- who has also frozen a cell to solder with
a gun -dunno what the freezing does to the longevity of the cell though. Pat