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Check for signs of rust and or mechanical damage to the rods. FYI, they are no longer certifiable but may work fine for GP kind of stuff. If they look in good shape and they have not been exposed to liquid water, just the atmosphere, you can just store them in a warm dry place until ready for use. If you suspect they have been exposed to higher levels of humidity, you can force dry them in a rod oven. (I would not use the kitchen stove as there is the very real possibility of poisoning food you plan to eat either from chemicals in the flux and anything that may have come into contact with the rods. I have coal heat so the furnace is fired all year. I store my rods in a metal shelf above the water jacket on the stoker and this give them just enough heat to keep them ready to use without being too hot and damaging the flux coating. Ones I don't use much just sit on a shelf in my parts room that is slightly warmed by the boiler but not hot, I have no problems with these even after years of sitting around. If these rods have been damaged or exposed to liquids, they ain't worth nothing but $1.25/100 pounds at the scrap yard. Any place that is relatively warm and dry will do just fine as long as the ambient temp stays about steady. If you really want to bake these rods, get yourself a real rod oven or at least an old stove that is not used for cooking food. Don't exceed 250F when first drying, 120F is fine for keeping them dry. In all honesty, I would not worry too much about heating them, just keeping them dry and away from humid areas.
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