On the Subject of Brittle Wires

I've received several calls from people who are having a problem with the electrode wires that they are twisting up for themselves (not those that I sell) snapping while they're attempting to twist them up with a drill. Personally, I have not had this experience, but from what I've gathered from those discussions is that some 316L wire is somehow impregnated with silicone and has the designation 316Lsi. I would advise against that purchase since it seems to be at the heart of the problem. The wire that I use comes from a company called McMaster-Barr (link provided) and these are the specs that you want when ordering:

Material	Super Corrosion-Resistant Stainless Steel (Type 316/316L)
Finish/Coating	Matte
Shape	Wire
Wire Type	Standard
Diameter	.032"
Tolerance	Standard
System of Measurement	Inch
Material Certification	Without Material Certification
Gauge	20 AWG
Specifications Met	Not Rated

I encourage anyone who wishes to do so to order from them and twist up your own wires. For those of you who do not want to deal with that - as you may know by now - I sell the complete pre-cut and twisted wire sets for $6.50 [additional info added 7/6/08: for the 30 inch sets and $15.00 for the 60 inch sets] which I see as a very reasonable price for the service.
It's all good.