While trying to bend up the positive pole of one of my cells I heard a little hiss. Something went wrong. I put it away from the house and shorted it for a few hours so that it was at 0.1V when I started removing the positive pole.
Thats what it looks like underneath:
Notice the hole. :D
Other than that, nothing spectacular. The area in the middle looks slightly punctured, maybe thats the pressure valve.
I’d guess too that that is the weak spot designed to vent gasses. Thanks for the pic.
Good info. Thank you for sharing.
You got lucky. And this is why I never buy Ultrafire batteries.
A Sanyo simply hissed, a Ultrafire would have made a pretty loud bang, possibly also setting something on fire.
Maybe you should still put it in a safe place
I would have heard that hiss and made like an outfielder trying to get the ball to home base. 
Very interesting, thanks for sharing. :)
That hiss was not from the battery. It was your soul leaving your body and running for cover…
Its currently out again shorting to discharge it. I want to disassemble it further, any hints?
@texas: :D
You do know that lithium is highly poisonous, right?
Lithium? Hell no... If it was I would be dead by now. ;) I've taken apart those primary lithium batteries and gotten pure lithium from them in the past, and I'm still alive.
Nightcrawl, all I have to say is wear your gasmask. ;) Also, opening batteries tends to be easy with one of those fancy pipe cutters with the blade that you rotate, remove the wrapping from the battery and use that on the indent near the positive end.
Hmm, I thought that I read somewhere that it is toxic!!! Never mind, when you open that battery let us know how it tastes :D
The lithium in rechargeables is in the form of lithium carbonate… used as a mood stabilizer in people with mental issues.
However I would like to remind people, the stuff in CR123A batteries is horrible vile stuff and should be avoided at all costs.
Used to think all you guys with masks were pretty nutty, now I’m one you. It’s crazy how many uses they have!
Did a little research on lithium. I never new that 7up soda contained lithium up until 1948, when all American beverage makers where forced to remove it. 7up’s original name was “Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda”. It contained the mood stabiliser lithium citrate. Interesting history. 
.
By the way, from what I read lithium in high doses can be dangerous. So don’t eat too many batteries in one setting. 
I had also been told that li-ions where toxic, but it appears they are not except in high dosages.
like 8 or 10 in series :D
Guess I’d better go talk to the Doc & get some. I can see how well it works on you.
Couldn't resist.
Made me kind of wonder if the beverage name “mellow yellow” wasn’t also thought up from this lithium use in beverages. 
Yep. I saw that hole. But my eyes noticed the surrounding shredded metal first.
:8)