[Al Skierkiewicz]

James,
I recommend against duct tape because frequently the gray/silver types actually have conducting coatings.
Lifting batteries by the wires is also bad practice from a safety standpoint. The battery is actually designed to take a variety of different terminal types from posts to tapped blocks. As such, each of the terminals merely fit over round pins and solder/molten lead is then poured over the joint. The battery is finished with a colored filler, either black or red. Neither the internal joint nor the colored filler is designed to carry the weight of the battery.
Al