I’m realizing a need for a CD stud welder. I already checked the usual suspects like Harbor Freight but theirs is only for dent repair and these tiny, nail-like studs. When I searched elsewhere, most of the options seemed to require 240v and were very expensive for a box with capacitors in it (roughly $800 and up).
Are there any other options y’all are familiar with or am I going to just have to make one of these things? I just want the ability to attach studs up to roughly 1/4"-20
I see them on E-bay all the time, but your right they are not cheap!
Check Langmuir forum I saw some one posted they bought one in the last few days, seems like it was around $600. Not sure what the capacity was
At that price I’ll just DIY one. The components are so cheap in comparison I can’t understand the pricing. Besides, I’d like one that takes M18 batteries anyway.
If you decide to document your build I would love to see it.
It seems like an 18v battery with a buck converter (with some additional circuitry due to the limited ranges a simple circuit like that can output) with a high current resistor to limit the rate of charge of the capacitor bank would take care of the power supply. I’ve found stud welder guns in about the $55-75 range on Amazon/eBay that could then be wired into the power supply.
I’ve also just been thinking of hooking up a variac to a bridge rectifier followed by an induction coil and using that to charge the bank.
I’m not sure which direction I’ll ultimately go or if I’ll come up with a better solution in the short term but the above is all I’m thinking. It seems relatively simple.
Not simple to me! I wish you lived next door or you were my partner! 
Henry, be honest with me…are you making up words here…? you just as soon be speaking Dutch to me!
It occurs to me that I should probably post my garbage box welder mod(s). At this point I’ve used it on more than a few projects and can confidently say it works well, even if it was probably more effort than I should’ve gone to for such a terrible machine.
You looking for a partner on a new venture? That usually sounds like fun to me. What kinda stuff are you doing?
I do all kinds of stuff. My Website shows some of what I do. But I’m 67 Things are becoming harder for me to do. I would like to find somebody that may be interested in buying the building and property and would let me continue there and Work for a few more years.
That sounds like the dream! Retire and still get to play with metal. I checked out your website, funny enough I’m planning on doing a gate really similar to the one in the picture on the homepage with the big wheels on it for the driveway to my house. That thing looks awesome! Clear powdercoat?
That’s a aluminum boat lift
Maybe I’m the one going blind, then 
Your talking about the square thing with black plastic wheels?
Yep, for some reason I saw rubber wheels.
Yep that’s a boat lift😁