Flaring Metals

[Modal Seoul he/him]

What would happen if you flared gold? Or atium? I am asking for a friend. He also asked what would happen if you flared copper, so I told him that it would just extend the coppercloud. Any thoughts, insoght, anything?

[The One Who Connects he/him]

Gold: I really don't know.
Atium: maybe see a minor amount further into the future. Not really necessary.
Copper: You make a valid supposition, but I'm not sure. Cadmium/Bendalloy bubbles don't really change size when flared(I think).  Hrmm...

[Weltall]

I imagine that flaring atium/electrum or gold/malatium would extend how far ahead/back in time you can 'see' with them respectively, but it would probably be extremely limited in the case of atium since the metal already burns so quickly. Basically, a lesser version of what we already know you can do with atium plus duralumin, extrapolated.

Relatedly, Brandon has mentioned that flaring bendalloy or cadmium could alter the rate at which time passes inside the bubble.

[RShara she/her]

Flaring atium should allow you to see further/better into the future (or rather, into the Spiritual Realm). 

Spoiler

Remember when Elend burned duralumin with atium and saw all the possibilities.

 

[Calderis he/him]

Flaring atium is kind of pointless. It would increase the rate at which you burn the metal to see slightly farther into the future... The only time you need a greater edge than atium gives is when fighting someone else with Atium. The other atium users burn creates the multishadows which effectively negates your use, so you want your atium to last longer, not burn faster 

This WoB doesn't mention flaring, but it does talk about making atium stronger, which should amount to the same thing. 

Quote

Wigginns

What would a Hemalurgic spike granting atium do for an Allomancer already able to burn atium? Does it function similarly to bronze, granting enhanced atium-ing? Along this line of thought, would enhancing electrum burning via spike be of any advantage?

Brandon Sanderson

A spike of something you have would enhance your ability, giving your more strength. With Atium, more strength makes for a minimal edge--the length you can push out the atium shadows. However, there's a certain breaking point where you kind of crack the whole system, peer straight into the [Spiritual Realm], and kind of have a "It's full of stars" moment.

Electrum could reach this same moment, potentially, though there's more interference to fight through. Extra strength in electrum isn't going to be terribly useful up to that point.

Alsadius

Is that what happened when atium was burned with duralumin?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes.

Footnote: In his original response Brandon mistakenly said burning atium and duralumin would cause the Allomancer to peer into the Cognitve Realm, rather than Spiritual Realm. He has since confirmed that this was a mistake.
source

 

[Spoolofwhool]

4 hours ago, The One Who Connects said:

Copper: You make a valid supposition, but I'm not sure. Cadmium/Bendalloy bubbles don't really change size when flared(I think).  Hrmm...

Flaring Cadmium and Bendalloy change the time scale. I think flaring copper increases the strength of the cloud though, so it's harder for enhanced bronze to pierce it, and vice versa with bronze.