Individual dental floss package forming method and apparatus

A process of making a series of coils of flexible strand material in an individual strand segment packaging process comprising the steps of:

• (A) supplying a strand material to a rotating strand positioning element having an axis of rotation from a supply roll substantially coaxial therewith;
• (B) placing a first mandrel having a transverse dimension of less than about three inches inside a path of rotation of said strand positioning element;
• (C) rotating said strand positioning element from three to twelve rotations to cause turns of said strand to be wound on said first mandrel;
• (D) removing said first mandrel and the strands wound thereon from said path of rotation by rotating a mounting element for said first mandrel and other mandrels by at least 10.degree.;
• (E) placing a second mandrel inside said path of rotation;
• (F) causing said strand portion wound on said first mandrel to be removed therefrom while substantially retaining a coil shape imparted by said first mandrel by positioning a pick-off element in an opening through said first mandrel below the turns wound on said mandrel, and lowering said mandrel to leave said coil resting on said pick-off element;
• (G) repeating step (B) and subsequent steps substituting said second mandrel for said first mandrel and substituting a third mandrel for said second mandrel to produce a series of interconnected coils formed of said strand material supplied to said rotating strand positioning element.