I would love to find or build a jig to make stove top coils.
Maybe use a cone shaped tool, like a pair of needle nosed pliers. Wrap it around the nose, going up the pliers. Then take it off the pliers and compress it down. I dunno- just a thought as I've been mentally formulating ideas for a stovetop coil ever since I heard about em a few days ago.
The advantage to using pliers is that you could grip one end of the wire in the pliers itself. But I can't help think that there must be a more conical shaped household item. Hmm..