Does quenching effects gold bar shiness?
No. Quenching has no effect on the shininess of the surface. The albedo, the shininess, the light reflective property, is determined by the oxide on the surface of the metal. Silver, for example, forms an oxide layer which is light sensitive and turns black as a result of exposure to light converting silver-oxide to metallic silver, just like with a black and white photographic negative. Regarding gold, the oxide which forms is very passive, and as a result is very thin, transparent even, which allows the base metal to show through, which is why gold has a natural shine which iron does not. Quenching has no effect on this effect. Quenching determines the hardness, the toughness of the base metal, not on the oxide layer which forms on the surface which determines how the base metal shines.
