Haha, wow, really not bad for by hand. Can't say I've ever seen it done with just pliers before. It looks a lot closer to a dual-parallel than a dual-twisted, though.
I used to do the pen trick when I didn't have a drill. It gives you tighter wraps than that, but it's pretty inconsistent, so I would always twist up enough for 3 coils if I was building 2, just to figure out the general resistance range of it.
I learned it from this guy. Completely disagree that the wire you get this way is as good as it gets, let alone so perfectly even as he describes it. A drill can make it much tighter and more consistent if everything is straightened and centered from the get-go. It does work pretty well if all you've got is a pen and a pair of pliers... ...or another pen or a screwdriver or something, though.
And just out of curiosity, have you tried centering on the v4? I ask because I just got one and I'm curious about the airflow with it set up off-center, since I've been closing off a row on the side, anyway.
