ves should be placed in the plate
press]

This press is designed for pressing negative plates, the active
material of which has become bulged or swollen. A plate in this
condition has a low capacity and cannot give good service. Swollen
negatives often make it impossible to replace the plates in a jar.
When negatives are found to be bulged or swollen, the battery must be
fully charged, and the negatives then pressed. To do this, plate press
boards, which are of acid proof material, and of the proper thickness
are inserted between the negatives, as shown in Figure 113, and the
plates are then set in the press is shown in Figure 114.

[Fig. 115 Negative group before and after pressing]

Figure 115 shows a group before and after pressing. Note that pressing
has forced the active material back into the grid where it must be if
the plates are to give good service. Never send out a battery with
swollen or bulged negatives.

Slightly buckled negatives may also be straightened out in the Plate
Press. Positives do not swell or bulge as they discharge, but shed the
active material. They are therefore not pressed Positives buckle, of
course, but should never be pressed to straighten them. The lead
peroxide of the positive plates is not elastic like the spongy the
negatives, and if positives are pressed to straighten them the paste
will crack and break from the grid. Slightly buckled positives may be
used, but if they are so badly buckled that it is impossible to
reassemble the element or put the element back into the jars, they
should be discarded.

[Fig. 116 Battery carrier]

[Fig. 117 Battery truck]

Battery Carrier. Figure 116 shows a very convenient battery carrier,
having a wooden handle with two swinging steel hooks for attaching to
the battery to be carried. With this type of carrier no strain is put
on the handle, as is the case if a strap is used.

Battery Truck. When a battery must be moved any considerable distance,
a truck, such as that shown in Figure 117 should be used. This truck
may easily be made in the shop, or may be made at a reasonable cost in
a carpenter shop. The rollers should be four inches or more in
diameter and should preferably be of the ball-bearing type. Rubber
tires on the rollers are a great advantage, since the rubber protects
the rollers from acid and also eliminates the very disagreeable noise
which iron wheels make, especially in going over a concrete floor or
sidewalk. The