Stud welding permanently joins a threaded fastener (also known as a weld stud) to one side of a workpiece while leaving the other side unmarred. Weld studs take less time to install than fasteners that require drilling, tapping, punching, or screwing. A weld stud loads into a compatible stud welding gun, and the gun is connected to a stud welder that supplies current to the stud. The current melts the base of the stud and an area of the workpiece to fuse them and create a weld.