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The voltage is the same even if Milwaukee is labeled as 18v and DeWalt says 20v. Lithium batteries are all 3.6v. 3.6 x 5 =18

Thank you for prompting me to clarify - I have multiple welders (stick (no stainless electrodes and too thin), MIG (no stainless wire), and my OA setup(no filler and inexperience)) but I do not have TIG or another way to weld stainless, like the thinner part of this trowel here. I could have technically done it with OA, but I do not have stainless filler, don't know what alloy this is theoretically supposed to be, and would probably burn through it since it would be my first time welding stainless with gas

You seem nice.

Or just do what he did and take care of it himself in an equally effective manner without wasting other's time.

You can weld stainless with a MIG, TIG, or a simple stick welder. There are lots of places you can ask to do stuff that they don’t normally deal in, just takes a question and the guts to ask it. Just around my small town I know of a boat place, 3 mechanics and a machine shop that’d do this in a heartbeat. Hell, if you have a friendly farmer nearby they could do it too.

I've just bought a couple of non-Milwaukee replacements for my 12v tools online. Cheaper, higher capacity, and they're working just fine so far. I can't speak for the 18v alternatives; maybe someone else has tried them.

Seems a lot easier to just fix it in his shop with what he has vs driving to a mechanic and bothering them to weld something they don't want to deal with and may not be equipped to do.

To add: if the voltage is lower, the tool will perform worse, and if the voltage is higher, it might work fine, might damage the tool right away, or might work fine but make the tool overheat prematurely.

Buy combo kits that come with the battery and chargers.

If the voltage output is identical it should be fine, don't count on getting any warranty help tho

If you don’t have a welder you should find an automotive shop, they would probably do it for nothing. It’s only take a few seconds.

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So far so good. I've done braze repairs mainly on cast iron and that has held up great, even a vise I repaired

It is stainless and I am not set up to weld stainless

TIL!

Welding and brazing are not the same thing.

Isn’t that what was done?

Color matched silicone

Why not weld it and be done.

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WAGO

I would paint and repair fully, then silicone. I like to tape the sink before doing the silicone for a clean line. However, tape will often pull up fresh paint. =(

Silicone is the right choice because of the water exposure.

Scraping any caulk is going to cause damage, so what you experienced is normal.

So "Ideal" says pretwisting is acceptable but infers it is not the preferred method.

I've always made the stranded slightly longer than the solid and have had no issues. However in my installations, the stranded is always smaller than the solid (think residential lighting fixtures).

I think the issue with twisting is some folks can make too many "twists" making the wire stressed beyond what it can safely take.