A welding rod is a generic name that refers to electrodes or filler metal used to join two other base metals. The rods can be consumable or non-consumable; the consumable rods will disintegrate or melt to form the bonding material that holds the two metals together. Non-consumable rods simply provide enough catalytic reaction with the base metals to propagate their fusing in an oxygen-rich atmospheric environment.What are brazing rods? Brazing rods are used in the same process that joins two pieces of base metal, the braze flows across the joint and cools to form a solid bond. Brazing creates an extremely strong joint, usually stronger than the base metal pieces.