MIC MORSEL: THE ART OF CONTAINMENT

The art of preservation's more like it...

Preserving the juice in your batteries, that is. I'd mentioned the frustration at finding a new/dead battery in a harpmic effects pedal when setting-up at a gig. Well, how about pulling a "brand new 9V" out of your gig bag and finding its lifeforce totally depleted? This can happen when errant contact is made between the + and - poles of the battery and ANYTHING that's conductive (mic bodies, loose change, phoneplugs/cord ends, handtools). No surprise that the old reliable "tongue test" yields ZIP.
TIP: Two ways I've found that can protect the battery's terminals and keep the juice where it's needed -in the battery: The plastic canisters that 35MM film comes in (Kodak in particular) fit 9V batteries perfectly and will also cushion it against whatever else may be lurking in your kit. Camera shops and film developers often have bins of these things and are generally glad to offload them; A patch of gaffer's tape over the terminals will work in a pinch. Just make certain to rub off any tape residue before putting the battery to work. Let the power flow...