The other reason is that I feel like the shots from the naked portafilter are a bit too hot for my personal preference. As such, I wanted the spout (and the brass "cup" affair on there) to draw away some of the temperature as the espresso flows into the cup.
Anyway, the rod is just a steel rod that I salvaged out of a used printer. I heated it up with a torch and then bent it a couple of times. Then filed some flat spots. It slips on and off the portafilter handle and is held in place by being pinched in between two decorative brass spacers. Once the fixture is in place, then you just drop the spout onto its support. It automatically balances itself on the two arms, so long as you have it facing so that the spouts are swinging back and forth, as opposed to side to side.
I haven't used it yet, but I was pretty happy with how it turned out, so I wanted to snap some photos right away and share them here.
All comments welcome! I'll see about making a video later maybe.
Ray
Looking down into the portafilter
Side view - sorry about the focus there!
Here it is on the machine; in this orientation, it sort of "auto balances" with regard to the spouts being level. I think that will help distribute the shot evenly between the two side of the spout
Here's another view. Here you can see how the fixture fit between the two brass bushings on the stud which holds the handle on. Installation just involves a quick twist of the handle and it's pinched in place; then a little adjustment and drop in the spout
A little free PR for OE

Here's a close up, which shows how the loop is secured in place. I used a file to flatten the surfaces on the rod, so that it would have a better surface to clamp down on. I haven't polished the fixture yet, so you can still see the tool marks and sanding, etc.
I think it looks kinda cool actually - even my girlfriend was impressed!
