Apparatus is described for feeding a wire from a wire coil to a processingtation. When wire is taken from a coil and fed to a processing station, because of the tension imposed on the wire, the wire end carries out uncontrolled movements which in arc welding are known as "pig-tailing" effects. In order to obviate such uncontrolled movements of the wire after issuing from conventional guide means, in the present wire guide apparatus the wire is guided with a radius of curvature r which is equal to the radius of curvature which the cylindrical spring formed by the cylindrically wound wire has in its relaxed state. The wire guide apparatus comprises a guide tube which is joined tangentially to the coil housing and which is constructed with a slightly curved shape. Connected to the guide tube is a mouthpiece which has a curved tubular duct the radius of curvature of which is equal to the radius of curvature r. The outer diameter of the cylindrical reel on which the wire is wound is preferably greater than the inner diameter of the relaxed cylindrical spring constituted by the wound wire.