The tangling of helically coiled wire articles during bulk handling and shipment is prevented by providing integral beads of fused metal at each end of the articles which enclose the severed ends of the wire. In the case of tungsten wire coils that are designed for use in fluorescent or incandescent lamps and similar devices and are wound on iron mandrels, the fused beads are composed of tungsten-iron alloy and are formed in situ during coil manufacture by melting the ends of the mandrel with a concentrated heat source such as a focused laser beam. The tungsten-iron alloy beads remain on the end turns of the coil during the subsequent mandrel-dissolving operation, are ductile and are formed without embrittling the tungsten wire. Various methods and apparatus embodiments for manufacturing such beaded-end coils on a mass production basis using a CO2 laser are disclosed. Since the beads can readily be made larger than the diameter of the coil and be spaced a predetermined distance apart, they provide built-in guides or ''''reference points'''' for mounting incandescent lamp type filament coils on their lead wires and thus accurately controlling the lighted-length of the mounted coils.