A strand of plastics material is converted into a slide fastener stringer by apparatus including a device for coiling the strand on a mandrel; a pair of wheels toothed according to the desired spacing of the elements in the stringer, the reduced terminating end of the mandrel engaging between the wheels; a braking member in the reception area of the pair of wheels on one side of the mandrel; a heatable shaping wheel having peripheral recesses between radial cross pieces to receive the elements, and pins projecting between the elements to support the elementinterconnecting portions of the coiled strand. A kinking disc cooperates with the shaping wheel by means of teeth which face the pins of the shaping wheel and the interconnecting portions supported on the pins and align the same in the longitudinal direction of the stringer.