Budget compounding

[Windborn_bolder]

Wax can burn steel and tap iron. What would happen if he took a ironmind and made it into steel and then burn that steel made from his metal mind 

I see 3 possible results

1 regular allomantic steel push

2 compounded feruchemical steel speed 

3 compounded feruchemical iron weight 

thoughts

Edited May 24, 2025 by Windborn_bolder

[CoderDrag0n8 He/They]

5 minutes ago, Windborn_bolder said:

Wax can burn steel and tap iron. What would happen if he took a ironmind and made it into steel and then burn that steel made from his metal mind 

I see 3 possible results

1 regular allomantic steel push

2 compounded feruchemical steel speed 

3 compounded feruchemical iron weight 

thoughts

1.

I dont have the specific WoB with me, but @Treamayne can confirm that it would be 1

[Treamayne]

2 hours ago, Windborn_bolder said:

Wax can burn steel and tap iron. What would happen if he took a ironmind and made it into steel and then burn that steel made from his metal mind 

I see 3 possible results

1. regular allomantic steel push
2. compounded feruchemical steel speed 
3. compounded feruchemical iron weight 

thoughts

 

1 hour ago, CoderDrag0n8 said:

1. I dont have the specific WoB with me, but @Treamayne can confirm that it would be 1

It's option 0 - nothing (or very very little). 

Any time you change the molecular structure of a Metalmind, you effectively block the result from doing anything (the Storage is Iron, so if the metal containing the storage isn't iron anymore, then it becomes incompatible). Normally, you get an effect like Vin trying to burn Sazed's Tinmind. Sometimes, if the original Ironmind was not completely full, then a Steelrunner would be able to use it to store steel (but not very much, only how much was unfilled as Iron). WoBs:

Spoiler

Quote

Questioner

Let's say Wax filled an ironmind with weight, forged it into steel, and then burned that steel with Allomancy. If there would be an effect, what would it be?

Brandon Sanderson

It would not have an effect in that situation, depending on what it looks like. There is a way to do this where you would end up with just a very, very mild effect. But with him... no, you couldn't even make it work. All that would happen is, you could maybe get the weight back out a little bit. But you couldn't compound it, basically. Good question. I've never been asked that one before.

Footnote: actually, Brandon has been asked this before
YouTube Live Fan Mail Opening 1 (Oct. 30, 2021)

Quote

Questioner

So, about Feruchemy. If someone takes, for example, a copper metalmind, fills it with memories, and then a tin metalmind, fills it with senses, then melts them together into a bronze metalmind, would you be able to tap anything from it, and what?

Brandon Sanderson

If you made an alloy of them, you would not get anything out of them. You would know there's Investiture in there, but you wouldn't be able to pull it out. 

Questioner

Even if it's your own?

Brandon Sanderson

Even if it's your own, yup. They would interfere with each other to the point that you wouldn't be able to get anything out. Sorry.

Tel Aviv Signing (Oct. 18, 2019)

Quote

ntdfbladez (paraphrased)

If a metalmind is melted down and changes shape, does it still retain its power?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

Yes, only by mixing it with other metals would the power be completely lost. Also if any pieces of the metalmind are lost, then some of the power will be lost (as it would be in the missing pieces).

Rithmatist Houston signing (May 20, 2013)

Quote

Rogaen

What would happen if a Feruchemist fills, for example, a tin metalmind then mixes it to make a pewter metalmind? Does the stored attribute change? Is the Investiture gone when you melt the metal? What if he just makes it into a tin metalmind again?

Brandon Sanderson

If you make it impure, you'll keep the investiture, but won't be able to get it out. If you make it back into the same thing, you'll be fine, and can access it normally. If you try to fill it, after changing the composition to make another viable metal, it will act a little like a computer hard drive with corrupted sectors. Some of it will work for the new investiture, but you won't be able to fill it nearly as full. (Depending on how full it was before you melted down.)

This holds for basic uses of the metallurgic arts. Once you start playing with some of the more advanced parts of the magic, you can achieve different results, which are currently RAFO.

<Edited for length and relevance>

General Reddit 2016 (Nov. 11, 2016)

Quote

Longshot_97

This question concerns Mistborn Era 2. Aluminum at this time is supremely rare and quite expensive, and Wax is seen lamenting his profound lack of aluminum guns and bullets fairly often. However, couldn't he fashion a "Poor Man's Aluminum" of sorts by coating his guns (and potentially bullets) in a thin veneer of iron, then Feruchemically charging it? You've noted that metalminds can still be pushed, but much less than un-Invested metal. This could help him, in the absence of aluminum. So, is there a reason he has not done that?

Brandon Sanderson

The layer you would get by just that little coat would be so small that it'd have very little effect. Now, there's a pretty good argument for putting it into bullets. The problem there is: are the alloys that make good bullets going to work very well? Now, granted, aluminum doesn’t make for great bullets either. But any aluminum alloy kind of gets the property of aluminum. Where any iron alloy does not necessarily get the property of being able to allomantically or feruchemically interact with it in the right way. Can you get there? It's an excellent question that I perhaps should explore. I like this idea. But it's harder than you make it out to be. It is a good idea, though; it's a pretty good idea.

r/books AMA 2022 (July 7, 2022)

 

Hope that helps

Edited May 24, 2025 by Treamayne

[DoctaDajman]

On 5/24/2025 at 11:56 AM, Windborn_bolder said:

Wax can burn steel and tap iron. What would happen if he took a ironmind and made it into steel and then burn that steel made from his metal mind 

I see 3 possible results

1 regular allomantic steel push

2 compounded feruchemical steel speed 

3 compounded feruchemical iron weight 

thoughts

 

On 5/24/2025 at 1:57 PM, Treamayne said:

 

It's option 0 - nothing (or very very little). 

Any time you change the molecular structure of a Metalmind, you effectively block the result from doing anything (the Storage is Iron, so if the metal containing the storage isn't iron anymore, then it becomes incompatible). Normally, you get an effect like Vin trying to burn Sazed's Tinmind. Sometimes, if the original Ironmind was not completely full, then a Steelrunner would be able to use it to store steel (but not very much, only how much was unfilled as Iron). WoBs:

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Hope that helps

I would have guessed option 1 for the Vin example. Wax may be able to sense that there is an attribute stored in it but it would be trapped behind a locked door. Burning it would likely just give the result of burning steel and that power being released back into the Spiritual realm untouched. A waste of the iron metalmind in my opinion. 

I could see 1 solid use for something like this. If you stored and filled to the brim an iron bar and then turned it into steel you may be able to trap the investiture making it a highly invested piece of steel that you could then go and forge into a weapon.  

Are their more versatile options for making invested weapons with the qualities of steel? Well yeah... step 1 being to be a steel compounder instead... but Wax isn't one. 

If an iron ferring wanted to build a high investiture set of armor and weapons with the strength and durability of steel though I think that storing into iron and then forging it into steel is a solid option. There may be some places in the cosmere where this would be beneficial.