Crap, the cage is broken

I knew I could break it when I started but thought there’d be more warning. The plan seemed solid. The cage had too much play, so I needed to drop the post a few degrees to close the gap. I wrapped some cloth around the ring to protect it from vice marks and gently tapped the post with a hammer. Life teaches you lessons. It didn’t budge at first, then suddenly moved, ending up at an absurd angle that required correction in the opposite direction. Gentle tap. Uh oh. Crack in the weld. Another gentle tap. The post snapped off and hit the floor, bouncing along. Ugh. I ordered a replacement device yesterday, but since it was an experiment for ring size, it might be too small. Besides buying a welder or making an embarrassing trip to a welding shop—or purchasing yet another cage—do I have any reasonable repair options?

Mark at MCN might be able to fix and weld it back to the correct angle. The turnaround is quick, and the cost seems fair given what you get.