How To Rewrap 18650 Batteries

Making use of 18650 batteries without a wrap is very dangerous since its entire body is actually a negative terminal. If you make use of it without any wrap, then the 18650 will likely short and prospectively be caught on fire or ultimately explode.

For those who salvage 18650s from their laptop battery, you can be able to make use of this guide to rewrap your batteries as a majority of them are glued inside. The only way to actually get them out is to damage the wrap and re-wrap all over again

As a form of safety precaution, taking off the wrap should be done when the battery is not completely charged. This way, if the battery is accidentally punctured or short, it will not release every bit of its energy and neither will it catch on fire or even explode.

Why Are Batteries Wrapped· 

On a general note, the plastic wrap that is over your battery aids in protecting it from any form of metal on metal contact, and this is highly vital for your safety.

If you should notice any tears or rips on the wrapping of your battery, then know that it is time to either replace the battery or time to rewrap them. Without the batteries being wrapped, it may cause severe damage and even lead to explosions.

Rewrapping the battery involves removing the old wrapping entirely. Cut the battery shrink wrap to the exact size of your battery. However, there are pre-cut battery shrink-wraps that are being sold, and this makes the job much easier.

Heat should be applied using a lighter until the wrap gets tightly fitted all over the battery.

18650 Battery Wrap And Insulators

It is the plastic that surrounds the battery itself that keeps the insulator rings in place. The 18650 battery wrap and insulators are highly vital for the entire safety of the battery. However, they are highly susceptible to ripping or getting damaged completely.

The white paper on the positive end of the battery is known as the insulator. If it is not actually adhesive, it will fall out once the old wrapping is taken off. So, it should be held in place while you are heat shrinking the latest wraps.

Some adhesives can as well be bought, and you can simply stick the insulator ring wherever it needs to go. However, it is a hundred percent important and even much more important than repairing the already damaged wrap.

The insulator ring has no choice but to stay on the battery. Every battery comes with some kind of wrapper on it plus an insulator ring that is placed over the positive terminal.

If the wrapper should get cracked or damaged in one way or another, it may cause the battery to short out and possibly explode. Putting on new wraps on the battery is actually easy and highly recommended.

How To Rewrap The 18650 Battery With A Lighter

As earlier stated, making use of the 18650 battery without a wrap is very dangerous because the whole body is known to be a negative terminal. If you make use of it without the wrap, the 18650 will likely short or explode.

Rewrapping the 18650 should be carried out at your own risk. However, the steps to take when rewrapping with a lighter includes:

· Step One

This has to do with the tools and materials needed for rewrapping. You will be making use of:

1.A lighter

2.Rulers or even calipers (you will need to be extra careful if they are metal so there will not be any case of accidental short battery

3.Hobby knife or scissors

4.Wrap

5.18650 battery

6.Paper rings

For the paper rings, this should be used only if the old one is damaged

· Step Two

This has to do with cutting the wrap. When it is flat, it is thirty mm wide, and the inner diameter is just a few millimeters wider than the 18650, which is roughly 18.5mm. It is also thin, and this means it would fit into things like a flashlight.

You can cut it into 3mm longer in every side so that it could be about 71mm or maybe 72mm. For the protected 18650, they are quite longer although they are not 65mm and they may be sixty-seven to sixty-eight millimeters so that you can add 6mm.

The ruler will be used in measuring 72mm, and it will be cut with either the scissors or hobby knife. Also, you can make use of some templates and make use of it to cut every wrap and not measure 72mm all the time

If the wrap· gets damaged, you will have to get another so be cautious.

· Step three

Here, you will be taking off the old wrapping. When you take off the old wrapping, you will have to cut down on the negative terminal. You will be cutting on the negative because if you should cut on the positive, you may short the battery

If the wrap is damaged already, you may have to peel it off using your fingers. Be careful not to damage the outer casing or even puncture it. If there is a protection circuit, it will have a flat piece of metal that goes straight to the top of the battery.

However, you shouldn't touch that metal, nor should you bend it. It is very dangerous to touch the metal and if the insulation is removed, it will short the battery. Nonetheless, if the wrap is not damaged, it can be left.

Although, it will not fit in some other devices or it may likely get stuck. The paper ring should only be removed if it is damaged or it falls off. Do not lose the paper rings as they will protect the battery from not only shorting positive and negative terminal.

But, you can always buy another one if it gets lost or it can be cut out from cardboard or hard paper.

· Step four

If you removed the paper ring, it is finally time to put it back at the top of the battery and place the wrap on it. You should make use of 3mm to 4mm on every end, and this depends on how much you have left though.

It can be tried out on an old battery, or if the 18650 does not work, you will not damage them if you do not hear them for too long.

Once you place the wrap on battery, and successfully align it, gently apply heat at the top of the battery with a lighter from the top to bottom and rotate the battery as well. All these will take just a few seconds.

If left for so long, the wrap can be melted. However, try your best not to heat the battery for a long period.

Whenever you are finished, you can place some stickers with the original information. Or, you can write it down with the aid of a marker.

Conclusion

This article can serve as a highly effective guide on how 18650 batteries can be effectively rewrapped carefully without any issue.