against movement into contact with the underlying stacking drum until after the forming drum 22 has moved completely out from under the spring 15 previously located on that drum the skip plates 96 then are pulled inwardly to the position illustrated in fig7 b and the ends of the springs allowed to drop onto the stacking drum 26 this temporary holding of the ends of the spring 15 by the skip plates 96 prevents the ends of the springs from becoming entangled with underlying springs on the stacking drums during the stacking of the springs on the stacking drums this sequence of operation and the reciprocable movement of the forming drums is then repeated when the slider plate 68 and attached stacking drums are next moved rightward after placement of a spring over the forming drum 20 and contact of a spring on the drum with the proximity trigger assembly 108 the rightward movement of the drums then causes sequential actuation of the clamping plate air cylinder 136 mounted on the mounting plate 24 a and simultaneously the actuation of the air cylinder 88 on the plate 24 a to move the clamping plates 134 and skip plates 96 into positions to prevent rightward movement of the spring 15 on the forming drum 22 and to temporarily hold the ends of the spring 15 as it moves off of the forming drum 22 against inward movement onto the stacking drum 24 only after the center portion of the spring has moved inwardly over the stacking drums do the skip plate paddles 96 move inwardly and allow the ends of the spring to drop into contact with the stacking drum 24 or if a spring has been previously.