The H. N. White Company put in the first plating tanks between the years of 1893-1900. Starting in those early years Gus Fessenmyer was the first director of plating. The entire Plating Department, like other departments was involved in producing a superior product to add to the companies overall quality.

"The plating process of our factory is the most complete and efficient in the country. The process of plating is a mystery to the average layman but in reality is very simple. A large tank is filled with a cyanide solution in which silver has been dissolved. Large plates of solid silver are immersed in the solution attached to the positive end of an electric wire. The negative end of the wire is attached to the instrument to be plated, which is the suspended in the solution. When the current is turned on it flows from the silver plates through the solution to the instrument, carrying the dissolved particles of silver with it and depositing them on the instrument. The thickness of the plating depends on the length of time the current is turned on and also on the strength of the current. King instruments all receive a long time in the tank under a low current, and the quality of plate put on is second to none." 1924 King Catalog.

 

1927 King Catalog