A hardened steel plate in which a number of graduated, tapering, round or suitably shaped holes have been formed to enable wire to be drawn successively through diminishing sizes of holes, to be reduced in diameter. Plates may be obtained for drawing round, square, half-round, triangular or other sections of wire. When a wire of a certain section is needed, a wire of slightly larger diameter is prepared with a long taper at one end which is passed through the larger side of the largest hole in the plate. The wire is then steadily pulled through the hole by means of the drawbench, which squeezes the wire into the shape and reduces its size. Repeated drawings through diminishing sizes of holes bring the wire to the required size and section, but after a number of drawings it should be annealed, otherwise it will become too hard and may break. Pinion wire for making small clock pinions is produced by drawing wire through plates with holes gradually shaped to the pinion section.