Copper-clad 1/2" grounding rods.........how to use in welding?

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In buying storage units, I've come across a stash of about 50 NOS ground rods 1/2-9/16" x 60".  If I were to use these as round stock in hobby welding (nothing load bearing), would I simply need to grind off the copper at the weld point?  Might it just melt off in welding?  If I did not remove the copper, what would be the effect of copper on the weld?  I have TIG, MIG and stick available. I'm just toying with the idea of welding them (one to another) to do some artsy fartsy stuff.Jerry30+ yrs Army Infantry & Field Artillery, 25 yrs agoMiller 350LX Tig Runner TA 210, spool gunLincoln 250/250 IdealArcESAB PCM 500i PlasmaKazoo 30"  vert BSKazoo 9x16 horiz BSClausing 12x24 lathe20T Air Press
Reply:Better to us those around your house for protection. Pound them in the ground  On on end attach a heavy gauge wire to the another and put it on top of the house. No more worries about lighting strikes.. Klutch 220si mig , stick, and dc tigHobart 140 AHP ALPHA 200X 2016Lotos LTP5000DSmith O/P
Reply:Maybe solder them together?I'd probably try and list them on CL or talk to a few of the larger electricians around and sell if I could just sell them, then turn that cash into material I want/need. Around here I'd probably go hunting for housing developments under construction and see if I couldn't hunt down the electrician doing the wiring. These guys will have multiple houses to do on average and budgets are cut tight. Any savings on materials is money the contractor can pocket. That's why in these sort of tract homes you'll often see concrete floors, walks etc, poured at 3 1/2" (or even thinner) vs 4" the specs call for. 1/2" doesn't sound like much, but over a 20' x 20' garage alone, it would probably save the contractor at least $100 in concrete. Multiply that by the whole house, footings, floors, walks etc and he can net himself easily $1000+ over what he's getting paid for the job..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Very hard and no doubt high carbon steel. Not good for much other than what they were designed for. I keep a few chunks around for driving pins, locating pins and other sacrificial uses."The things that will destroy America are prosperity at any price, peace at any price, safety first instead of duty first, the love of soft living and the get rich quick theory of life." -Theodore Roosevelt
Reply:i dont know how thick it is on ground rods, but i know our fill rods/ wire are copper coated, but very thin.try it and see what happens! if the copper is too thick to melt and mix, just use short pieces as root backers!!bosses stuff:trailblazer 325maxstar 200my stuff:sa 200fronius transpocket 180100 amp Lincoln w/f97 f350 DITKevin
Reply:Definitely much better to Craigslist them for cash from an electrician, win/win for both of you.RyanMiller Multimatic 200 tig/spool gun/wireless remoteMillermatic 350P, Bernard/XR Python gunsMiller Dynasty 350, Coolmate 3.5 & wireless remoteCK WF1 TIG wire feederMiller Spectrum 375 XtremeOptrel e684Miller Digital EliteMiller Weld-Mask
Reply:Before I got these I had a couple of my own from military generators.  Bent a piece of one and made the handle on my smoker lid with no prep.  Was too ignorant to think about it at the time I guess.    No issues to date.  I live in the country.  No developments around here.Jerry30+ yrs Army Infantry & Field Artillery, 25 yrs agoMiller 350LX Tig Runner TA 210, spool gunLincoln 250/250 IdealArcESAB PCM 500i PlasmaKazoo 30"  vert BSKazoo 9x16 horiz BSClausing 12x24 lathe20T Air Press
Reply:The copper itself probably wouldnt be an issue unless really thick, after all some Tig / oxy welding rods come with copper coating on them to stop them corroding in storage.
Reply:I'd sell them. But 6010 / 6011 will git er done as long as the nuns, puppies and children stay on the porch. "You can't out puke a buzzard"
Reply:I'm an electrician and have never used a 60" long ground rod.  All our ground rods according to the NEC generally need to be a minimum of 5/8" x 96", they can be bigger than that but not smaller.I think you'd be better off using them on your projects than trying to sell.
Reply:The only time I've ran across 5 ' ground  rods, is with the Bell telephone boys. They were the first and only ones I very seen running around with them on trucks. I quizzed them what they were for, they told me some places don't have power. Thus no ground rod from the sparkies already in places, cabins, pay phones etc...
Reply:5 foot rods are used on electric fences.A store that sells fence chargers might buy them.I sold 8 foot rods for 8 bucks each years ago.Check the going price.
Reply:Thanks. FYI: The military also uses 3.5' to 5' and similar rods as grounds for field generators.    These, like the military's, are threaded on the ends and can be joined.  I don't have the time or inclination to run around burning fuel to try to sell them.  Think I'll just experiment with welding and with forging them.  If failure, I'll use them as tomato stakes.JerryLast edited by storeman; 04-23-2016 at 09:23 PM.30+ yrs Army Infantry & Field Artillery, 25 yrs agoMiller 350LX Tig Runner TA 210, spool gunLincoln 250/250 IdealArcESAB PCM 500i PlasmaKazoo 30"  vert BSKazoo 9x16 horiz BSClausing 12x24 lathe20T Air Press
Reply:Originally Posted by storemanThanks. FYI: The military also uses 3.5' to 5' and similar rods as grounds for field generators.    These, like the military's, are threaded on the ends and can be joined.  I don't have the time or inclination to run around burning fuel to try to sell them.  Think I'll just experiment with welding and with forging them.  If failure, I'll use them as tomato stakes.Jerry
Reply:Yes they are.  I have a few and the couplings and the slide hammer for pulling the rods out.30+ yrs Army Infantry & Field Artillery, 25 yrs agoMiller 350LX Tig Runner TA 210, spool gunLincoln 250/250 IdealArcESAB PCM 500i PlasmaKazoo 30"  vert BSKazoo 9x16 horiz BSClausing 12x24 lathe20T Air Press
Reply:I doubt the coating is very thick? Grind it off to see, then weld them into "Artsy" stuff, squirt a little copper paint on the welds and sell them!
Reply:That is what I plan to do.  Copper is likely 0.01" thick according to specs I've seen.Jerry30+ yrs Army Infantry & Field Artillery, 25 yrs agoMiller 350LX Tig Runner TA 210, spool gunLincoln 250/250 IdealArcESAB PCM 500i PlasmaKazoo 30"  vert BSKazoo 9x16 horiz BSClausing 12x24 lathe20T Air Press