must be kept moist.

Terminal Connections

When the battery is on the car it is necessary to have some form of
detachable connection to the car circuit and this is accomplished by
means of "terminal connectors," Fig. 18, of which there are many types.

[Fig. 18 Battery terminal]

Many types of terminals are in two parts, one being permanently
attached to the car circuit and the other mounted permanently on the
battery by welding it to the terminal post, the two parts being
detachably joined by means of a bolted connection.

In another type of terminal, the cable is soldered directly to the
terminal which is lead burned to the cell post. In this construction
there is very much less chance of corrosion taking place, and it is
therefore a good design.

HOMEMADE BATTERIES

The wisest thing for the battery shop owner to do is to get a contract
as official service station for one of the well known makes of
batteries. The manufacturers of this battery will stand behind the
service station, giving it the benefits of its engineering,
production, and advertising departments, and boost the service
station's business, helping to make it a success.

Within the past year or so, however, some battery repairmen have
conceived the idea that they do not need the backing of a well
organized factory, and have decided to build up their own batteries.
Some of them merely assemble batteries from parts bought from one or
more manufacturers. If all the parts are made by the same company,
they will fit together, and may make a serviceable battery. Often,
however, parts made by several manufacturers are assembled in the same
battery. Here is where trouble is apt to develop, because it is more
than likely that jars may not fit well in the case; plates may not
completely fill the jars, allowing too much acid space, with the
results that specific gravity readings will not be reliable, and the
plates may be overworked; plate posts may not fit the cover holes, and
so on. If such a "fabricated" battery goes dead because of defective
material, there is no factory back of the repairman to stand the loss.

If the repairman wishes to assemble batteries, he should be very
careful to buy the parts from a reliable manufacturer, and he should
be especially careful in buying separators, as improperly treated
separators often develop acetic acid, which dissolves the lead of the
plates very quickly and ruins the battery. Batteries made in th