[Milsurplus] TBY-8 batteries

[David Stinson]

>I've had a TBY-8 transceiver now for about a year and on Sunday I bought two 
>more, plus the vibrator PSU and a "Willard ER-40-4" wet battery pack. The 
>battery is long-dead but the case could be used to hold two modern Dryfit 6 
>volt batteries - if I knew how to open the old cell! I think it's a 
>perspex-type plastic and the lid appears to be glued in place. Anyone been 
>down this road before and found a suitable solvent or another method of 
>opening the lid? Also, was this a lead-acid battery? Nothing shows up on 
>Google. The battery has a brown sludgy appearance inside, perhaps 
>lead-oxide?

I respectfully suggest you leave the old batteries alone 
and build substitutes.  Not only because the batteries are 
also parts of the historic relic TBY radio, but because
the material in the old batteries is very toxic.
Any attempt to remove it is going to leave you with a 
nasty pile of toxic waste for which, should you attempt to
dispose of it in an easy manner, you could be criminally charged.
If you try to dispose of it legally, the authorities are going to 
want to know from where it came, and if they ever find out about
the radium paint on the TBY, God himself help you, because
you'll need His intervention to deal with the hurricane of 
stupidity that will follow.
Regards,
D.S.