I got a pair of angled wire nippers to trim soldered wires close to the joint. When I tried using them to cut off a battery spring, the wire nipper steel just gave way, and didn't affect the spring at all. Now I have wire nippers with 3 "holes" that don't cut anymore.
Apparently, some battery spring terminals are pretty hard. Use heavier snips instead.
Yeah, that spring steel can be pretty hard. I keep some heavier cutters on hand for those projects. My good nippers are used to cut soft wire ONLY to keep them from getting gapped like that.
Wanna gap something good? Cut through a hot household circuit. Your cutters will never be the same.
Best are bronze alloy springs they can be cut also way better
“Funny” story completely unrelated to this thread:
At my previous home, I was walking just outside the back fence and saw a bare piece of romex household wiring on the ground. I picked it up, but the wire ran under the dirt. I gave it a good tight grip to pull it out, and when I did, I got a noticeable shock that tingled my entire arm. I dropped it and stepped back in surprise. I metered the wire and found that it had a full 110V. Inside the garage at the circuit breaker, I found a breaker with a separate single run of romex running DOWN the wall instead of up with the others. Disconnecting this breaker killed power to the errant strand. Apparently, there had been a fence at that location with a light pole or exterior outlet box; the fence had been removed long before, but the wiring had been left. I wondered if that was just constantly trickling a low discharge; not enough short to trip the breaker, but enough to slowly run up my electric bill…
Use a Dremel instead or get better quality hardened steel nippers.
110v will make them great wire strippers :smiling_imp:
Ne’er a flashlight shone as bright
As the Klein cutting into 240v!
…true story :person_facepalming:
Yup, been through quite a few sets of expensive pliars in my time 
Use pliers, not wire snips or anything made for soft copper.
Use dremel with cut off wheel
I stole a nice new pair of $85 aven flush cut snips for cheep. I was trimming the solder off of a spring bypass when I carelessly cut too deep. As soon as I squeezed I cringed and knew exactly what had happened. I looked and yup, two divits on the tip of each cutting surface. Oh well, they still work fine but it’s bugging me now:)
Plot twist: your neighbors were hooking up to it to power their indoor marijuana grow lights.
:smiling_imp: :partying_face:
thanks for the heads up… I always use unprotected cells so if anything it always seems I am stretching my springs, not the other way around.
You may be able to restore part or sometimes all of the divot by filing. Don’t use anything too aggressive, you want to “grab” and move the metal back into position not grab and REmove. Only file towards the blade, don’t go back and forth.
SMM
Yeh, was gonna suggest a dremel with nice cutting wheel not only cuts the spring, but also can shape the end so it won’t poke holes in your cells.
I got enough cells with circular “abrasions” just from uncut springs.
most wire ‘nippers’ are not meant for steel, only copper
wle
Cutting plier Harry Will “for piano wire”
I have one from about 40 years, cuts what I put in the middle