newbie - where can I get copper rod/plate

I have seen sheet at hardware stores, last I saw was like $100 for a 3' square sheet. A well-stocked roofing supply should have roofing copper, it won't be cheap. For smaller chunks, I'd think a craft supply would be your best bet, it's used in a lot of different ways.

Stan

In the Milwaukee area, we have a place called "Speedy Metals" which does small lot orders. I'm pretty sure they ship. Also, Metal Express might be a source.

Yet again it might be helpful to give a hint as to where "local" is.

Having said that you might try

Metal Source Wouburn MA

I've seen various sized copper grounding rods in the electrical supply house.

I, too, am going to be doing some projects in copper. Mainly sheets of various thicknesses. Google copper sheets, and you will have a start. Some places have really killer pricing, but you have to buy a quantity. There are some good deals on ebay, just be very careful to read the descriptions, as a lot of those are leftovers from projects, and may be irregular in size. I have also seen pristine sheeting and coil for sale on ebay.

IIRC, rod can be gotten at electrical supply houses, and it is used for grounding. I think odd sizes of flat bar, also, but don't quote me. If you can find an electrician, they sometimes get some deals on stuff, and pick up salvage that is already aged. Make some calls, stop by some jobsites, drop some cards. Ca$h speaks loudly in that world.

Good luck. I think copper is a very attractive durable medium, and I am looking forward to working with it myself.

Steve

I've been known to use :

Martin

Martin Eastburn @ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net NRA LOH & Endowment Member NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder IHMSA and NRA Metallic Silhouette maker & member

Errol Groff wrote:

Or Alaskan Copper and Brass on 6th Ave south.

Seattle, WA.

Dan

Look those over before you buy. We use the coppper-clad steel ground rods that are threaded for when we need to drive 40 or

The other type of ground rod I've seen is not copper. It is much more yellow than red, may be brass.

technomaNge

Nice idea, but No. You've seen copper plated /steel/ ground rods in electrical supply houses.

Solid copper ground rods would cost a large fortune, and they'd bend like an overcooked noodle the first time you tried to drive them into hard or rocky soil.

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I have never seen solid copper ground rods, copper clad steel or galvanized steel are the normal requirement. Gerry :-)} London, Canada

Now you got me wondering and I must take a magnet to the ones we put in for the computer line. Cardinal sin, assuming anything!

Check your local scrap yard. You have picked a bad time to get into copper art now that the scrap price for copper has jumped past $2 a pound. Cheap material will be hard to find. Atleast around here.

Another source to check is your local industrial manufacturing area. Time to dumpster dive.

Good luck.

Jim Vrzal Holiday, Fl.

But, but, but...they LOOK like copper. I thought they were this amazingly strong, cheap copper rods. Duhh.

I got some nice copper sheeting out of the inners of old geysers.

Tim

Yeah, me too. I was surprised when I got them home and started driving them, to find that they were copper clad steel. Bob

Electrical supply house rods are steel that are coated in copper. One must be able to drive steel rod into the ground - but copper won't drive.

Martin

Martin Eastburn @ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net NRA LOH & Endowment Member NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder IHMSA and NRA Metallic Silhouette maker & member

Steve B wrote:

According to TMN :

Unfortunately, *here* (the USA), geysers are natural phenomena, boiling water shooting out of holes in the ground, such as "Old Faithful" in Yellowstone National Park.

I *think* that what you are referring to is some form of water heater, and here, the electric ones are steel not copper, with a glass lining which is supposed to prevent electrolytic corrosion. I don't know whether the gas fired ones are also steel, or whether they may be copper.

Enjoy, DoN.