Abstract: In making semiconductive devices using lead frames, savings in gold result from plating spot layers of gold on the free ends of the leads of the frames where substrates are to be bonded. To accomplish such plating, a plating bath is flowed out of each orifice of laterally aligned plating tubes. A strip of interconnected lead frames is then moved past a sensing device to produce a control signal and then past the orifices and into contact with the plating bath. As the frames are moved past the orifices, the plating bath is sequentially rendered effective in response to the control signal to plate with the bath the spots of the frames in contact with the bath while the bath is so rendered effective, whereby the remainder of the frames are not plated.