like a blind man, never becoming a battery expert,
never knowing why you did a certain thing, never gaining confidence in
yourself.

It is impossible to overemphasize the importance of having a standard
method of procedure and to stick to that method. Careless, slip-shod
methods will please your competitor and give him the business which
belongs to you.

1. Examine plates to determine whether they can be used again Rules
for determining when to discard or use old plates follow.

2. If all plates of both positive and negative groups are to be
discarded, use new groups.

The question as to whether the old negatives should be used with new
positives has caused considerable discussion. If the negatives are old
and granulated, they should of course be discarded. Remember that the
capacity of negatives decreases steadily after they are put into
service, while the capacity of positives increases. Putting new
positives against negatives which are rapidly losing capacity is not
advisable. However, trouble often arises in a battery whose negatives
still have considerable capacity, and such negatives may safely be
used with new positives.

If you feel that a battery will not give at least six months more
service after rebuilding with the old negatives, put in all new
plates, or sell the owner a new battery, allowing him some money on
the old battery. But if you really believe that the negatives still
have considerable capacity, put in new positives if required. If all
new plates are used, proceed as directed in this chapter, beginning at
page 348.

3. If you find that only some of the plates are to be discarded, or if
you are not certain as to the condition of the plates, eliminate any
short circuits which may exist, and give the battery a preliminary
charge, as described later, before you do any work on the plates.
Plates that are fully charged are in the best possible condition for
handling, and you should make it an ironclad rule that if some of the
plates can be used again always to charge a battery before you work on
the plates, no matter what is to be done to them. If both positives
and negatives are to be discarded, the preliminary charge should not,
of course, be given, but if only the negatives, or the negatives and
some or all of the positives are to be used again, give this
preliminary charge. Very few batteries will come to your shop in a
charged condition, and an exhausted battery is not in a good condition
t