<HTML>Charles, I pre-coil my strings 2 1/2 turns around a dummy pin, pry them off, then= put them on the pin.   Makes it easier to get a clean coil, and s= aves wear and tear on the pin block, because you only have to back the pin o= ut a turn and a half or so. It gets easier, but the funny thing about string replacement is that eac= h one I've done has something different.  I guess that's one of the int= eresting things about piano work! Dave Stahl In a message dated 5/29/03 11:36:22 AM Pacific Daylight Time, piano@char= lesneuman.net writes: <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-= LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">My coil lifter wouldn't fit= between the tuning pins on a spinet, and it was tricky getting it to fit on a grand whose string I replaced. What do you do if it doesn't fit? Are there coil lifters that work better in confined spaces? Do most people make their own coils before installing strings on the tuning pins? As I understand it, you just do that to one side, and then for the other side you make a coil on the tuning pin while you are installing it. I was taught how to make both coils on the tuning pins while the string = is being installed. It's nice to know how to do that in case I forget or lo= se my coil-making tool (which I plan to make soon), but it looks like it would be easier to use a coil-making tool.</BLOCKQUOTE> </HTML>