I have made and sold a bunch of those!
However, I would NOT sand the copper pipe because sandpaper will scratch it. Clean it with silver polish or cleaner. Then spray it with clear spray paint to keep it shiny.

wonder how it would work with pfc instead of copper pipe?

I bought one at a craft show, that just had a metal rod used to hold it up. I would be afraid that someone would steal it, if it had a copper pipe.

When I made mine, I had a problem with the cups filling with water everytime it would rain, so I had dh drill small holes in each cup that lets the water run out. Since we have real bad mosquitos here, we can't have standing water.

I've also made & sold a bunch of these; except I used a decorative wooden spindle from a home improvement store instead of the pipe. Had hubby pound a large nail in the bottom to go into the ground. Best seller was a snowman cup/saucer set I found at the craft store.

bowlrmom,

do you have any photos? I would love to see them