<html> At 04:26 PM 07/17/2001 -0700, you wrote: <blockquote type=cite cite>I'd like to get the list's recommendations on which "coil maker" I should use. In the past, having never before restrung an entire section, such as the bass, i've always made my coils right on the tuning pin in the piano. Since this is an older piano, I want to make the coils outside the piano so i can save wear & tear on the old pins, which are still quite tight. Any suggestions on a coil maker? There seems to be a few ready-made ones to choose from, but I would like to get the one that will be the easiest and most efficient to use. Thanks!</blockquote> Use a dummy pin.  Cut the pin sort, 1/4" below the becket hole. This lets you work in close quarters. To extricate the becket, open up the coil by turning the pin in reverse and use a pair of needle-nosed pliers to lift the becket out. Place the coil in the piano and 3/4 turn will bring it to pitch. You can also make a cut from the bottom of the pin up into the becket hole for slipping the coil off but this is only useful for treble wire which is easy to expand the coil with needle-nosed pliers to install in the piano. The bass wire is stiffer and the installation will go easier if you reverse-turn the pin to expand the coil and lift the becket off the dummy pin. I have two dummy pins, one with the cut up from the bottom for treble wire and one without the cut for bass wire. When replacing a set of bass strings, the Becket Tool keeps the beckets aligned. However, you do not place the end of gage on the tip of the pin in the piano, this will place the becket at 6:00 or beyond.  Place a mark 3/8" back from the edge and place that mark on the tip of the pin and cut the wire.  This mark compensates for the increased wire length caused by the steeper angle between measuring from the plate surface and pin tip. Regards, Jon Page,   piano technician Harwich Port, Cape Cod, Mass. <a href="mailto:jonpage@mediaone.net" eudora="autourl">mailto:jonpage@mediaone.net</a> <a href="http://www.stanwoodpiano.com/" eudora="autourl">http://www.stanwoodpiano.com </a>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</html>