the cover (or covers, if the batter has upper and lower
covers) to which the compound is sticking, as shown in Fig. 196. Do
not remove the plates of the other cells until later.

Rest the plates on the top of the jar just long enough to allow most
of the acid to drain from them, Fig. 197. If you have removed the post
seal, or if the seal consists of compound (old Philadelphia
batteries), pry off the covers now with a screw driver. Otherwise,
leave the covers in place while cleaning off the compound.

While the plates are resting on the jars to drain, scrape the compound
from the covers with a warm screw driver or putty knife, Fig. 198.
Work quickly while the compound is still hot and soft, and comes off
easily. As the compound cools it hardens and sticks to the covers and
is removed with difficulty. If the battery has sealing compound around
the posts, this should also be removed thoroughly, both from the cover
and from the post.

When you scrape the compound from the covers, do a good job. Do not
scrape off most of it, and then leave pieces of it here and there.
Remove every bit of compound, on the tops, edges, sides, and bottoms
of the covers. If you need different sized putty knives or screw
drivers to do this, use them. The time to remove all the compound is
while it is still hot, and not after it has become hard and cold. If
the battery has single covers, the compound can be removed very
quickly. If the battery is of the old double-cover type, the job will
take more time, since all the compound should be scraped from both top
and bottom covers, Fig. 199.

[Fig. 198 Removing compound from cover]

As soon as you have removed the compound from the covers of the first
cell, serape away the compound which may be sticking to the top and
inside walls of the jar, Fig. 200. Here again you must do a good job,
and remove all of this compound. If you do not do it now, you will
have to do it when you try to put the plates back into the jar later
on, as compound sticking to the inside walls of the jar will make it
difficult, and even impossible to lower the plates into the jar.

Now draw up the plates of the next cell. Rest the plates on the top of
the jar just long enough to drain, and then lift off the covers, and
remove all of the compound, from cover, posts, and jar, just as you
did in the first cell. The third cell, (and the others, if there are
more than three cells) are handled just as you did the first one.