Issues finding a suitable place to buy coils, questions about mesh

Hey everyone-- I'm about to make my first lamp and I'm running into a hitch. I can't find anywhere to buy suitable springs to use as coils. Home Depot, Walmart, and Lowe's all have storm door springs, but no springs that are quite the right gauge, diameter, and "springy-ness". I tried to make some out of stainless steel beading wire, but it is proving difficult to get them into my bottle and getting them to lay flat. I've searched around on these forums to no avail, but I see many suggestions towards buying stainless steel mesh instead? Would I just cut that into a round shape and lay it at the bottom of the bottle? Have many people had much success utilizing the mesh in terms of its longevity?

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