Lousy welded chimney cap!

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Big storm here 2 days ago...the roof piece of my chimney cap blew off and landed on a shed roof over my family room. I donned snow shoes today and climbed up on the snow drifts with a roof rake and retrieved it. The piece is prolly 20 guage with powder coat. It looks like a crappy tack welding job to expanded steel squirrel guard. The base and the expanded metal cage stayed put. Can't believe they would sell something like this. Looks like one tack weld midway on each side. Most I've looked at since have through bolts holding the "roof" onto the cap. Of course the powder coat is flaking off and the rust has crept in. Anyone ever rewelded one of these. Thinking a Mig would be the way to go.
Reply:Wouldn't it be easier to just go up there with a battery powered drill and put a 1/4" bolt in it? I made one once... I think I used heavier metal (probably closer to 12 or 14 gauge) and the stick. As long as you can get good penetration and have decent metal to weld to, the MIG should work fine too. I sprayed mine with heat resistant black paint and it's been up there for over 10 years and still looks ok.250 amp Miller DialArc AC/DC StickF-225 amp Forney AC Stick230 amp Sears AC StickLincoln 180C MIGVictor Medalist 350 O/ACut 50 PlasmaLes
Reply:Thanks, whtbaron,Would like to bolt it on, but it was just "resting" on the expanded steel cage. I was thinking  u-bolts might work if I drilled a few holes. Can't get up there to look until the snow melts off anyway.
Reply:Self tapping sheet metal screws.......zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Our roofs got a good coat of ice in the last ice storm. It can be very slippery under that snow.  I went up to unthaw a couple frozen sewer stacks and almost became a human sled off the roof. Be careful out there...250 amp Miller DialArc AC/DC StickF-225 amp Forney AC Stick230 amp Sears AC StickLincoln 180C MIGVictor Medalist 350 O/ACut 50 PlasmaLes
Reply:You're not really surprised are you? Those things were never intended to be a quality product. Wholesale by the 1000 lot via container like most hardware peddled by contractor supply houses.
Reply:Ya, just call me an old school naive old guy who foolishly expects some degree of quality in outside hardware...anyway, came up with a solution after checking out the set up with my binoculars. Going to weld some angled 16 gage inside the old wells lines on the "roof" of the cap, then drop the roof on the cap so the new angled pieces are visible through the squirrel guard. Finally, I will use sheet metal screws through fender washers to fasten her on. Next nor'easter will probably take the whole top of the chimney off.
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Reply:Chimney caps should be made of stainless steel.Any other material runs rust stains down the roof.