Today I tightened my prop stand by turning a few thou off the steel bush to compensate for wear and on re-assembly this is how I fitted the springs without having a trip to A&E (accident & emergency).
Just fit a load of washers between the coils and the spring fits neatly over the pegs. Operating the stand then extends the spring and all the washers drop onto the floor. QED.



Might help someone,
Paul.