@Sarfallet:
Isn't water technically an oxide? Maybe all bending is oxygen bending!
Okay, wise guy, then it's metal oxide mending. Because there is nothing more inherently spiritual than metal oxides! Think about it, it also explains the sandbending, since sand is mostly silicon dioxide. Sillicon is a metalloid, though, which makes it harder to bend than regular metal oxides. The magic avatar spirits can tell.
@Cymelion:
When Toph leaned how to Metal bend - she sort of showed that she wasn't bending the metal but the parts of the metal that were "earth" (yes I am aware of the scientific reasons why that is stupid) So what I have gathered is metal bending is more like Vine bending or Blood bending - you're manipulating the element inside its casing and therefor manipulating the casing as well.
I'm telling ya, metal oxide bending, man. Think about it.
@Cymelion:
I meant there are other alternatives - I am thinking that Varrick could invent Plastics to make things that benders can't manipulate that would be cool.
You see, this is a much better idea, especially considering that modern tech is moving more towards non-metal composites like carbon fiber reinforced polymers, anyways. The main problem is that heat would be a really big weakness. Avatar-verse never really takes heat into account, though, as evidenced by no one sweating amidst an ocean of lava. Plus, if they took heat into account, that would still be a major weakness for the platinum tech, less for the melting more for the conductivity. The tank operators would be baked alive if a firebender even used a low flame.
Even if the plastic did melt, though, the idea is much more believable than the idea of bulk mining platinum and using it as a structural material.
