Poor mans lathe DRO's

**mklotz** · Jun 10, 2018, 10:36 AM

Another argument for storing batteries in plastic containers...

It's almost impossible to accidentally short an AA-style battery. A 9 volt, on the other hand, needs nothing but brief contact with a screwdriver, nail, etc. or the side of the drawer in a metal tool box.

Many spare drill batteries have contacts so oriented that accidental shorting is a possibility. A little plastic goes a long way to preventing fires.

Oh, and one more warning...never carry 9 volt batteries in your change pocket. :-)

**Frank S** · Jun 10, 2018, 11:22 AM

"Oh, and one more warning...never carry 9 volt batteries in your change pocket. :-)
I'm not even going to ask how you learned that bit of information.
I'll never forget my very first experience with 9v batteries. my dad had given me a little 2 transistor radio when it came time to replace the battery I somehow managed to pinch the tiny wires of the contact clip between the radio and the battery A few minutes later the radio was getting warm in my pocket by the time I got the battery out it was hot enough to burn my fingers after getting the wires separated and taped the radio was fine but I didn't have any finger prints on my thumb and fore finger for a while. Lesson learned 7 year olds don't always know as much as they think they do.

**mklotz** · Jun 10, 2018, 02:01 PM

Originally Posted by Frank S

"Oh, and one more warning...never carry 9 volt batteries in your change pocket. :-)
I'm not even going to ask how you learned that bit of information.

I was tempted to add the DAMHIKT acronym but, in this case, I was smart enough to know not to do that from an early age.

That's not to say I haven't shorted a few batteries in my lifetime. My first car was a VW bug. The 6 volt battery was under the rear seat so one had to prop the seat up to top up the battery. While doing that I managed to drop a screwdriver, with perfect aim, directly across the electrodes. The resulting cascade of sparks ignited the strands of burlap-like stuff hanging from the bottom of the seat. So here I was, wedged into the back of the tiny car, head under seat and the flames getting dangerously close to my hair. I always had a rag for mopping up spills so I was able to beat out the (actually rather meager) flames. But from then on I used a wooden strip to pry the cell filling caps loose.