For the vast majority of winter I get by perfectly fine without studs simply by having wide tires and running so low pressures that the gauge doesn't even register. However, there's that handful of trips, especially towards the end of the winter, that I could really use the extra grip you get with studded tires. I decided to continue on the custom / diy theme with my bike mods and used 13mm self-tapping screws instead of dedicated tire studs. It's ones with a wide, flat base but I'm still considering taping over them to protect the tubes.
This is the rear wheel, I think I'm only doing the outside row on the front. I only have about 25% of the knobs studded and the increase in grip is already immense.
Probably a reasonable option, butyl tape might be good too. Duct tape may not last in the cold/if it gets wet. Interested to hear an update in a few months.
I'll try and remember to report back in the spring and tell how it went. I've only got like 15km on this set up so far so too early to say. What I can say though is that it makes a huge difference. I first studded every 3rd pair of knobs on the inside row only and even then the difference was like a night and day. The next day I added the ones on the outside row. Studding every knob seems like a total overkill.