Spouting Off

I have more questions than answers lately.  Life is full of "why's" and not enough answers.  Today's burning question is this: Why is it so hard to remove the double spout on my portafilter?  I have a really nice single spout that is collecting dust and I want to add it to the bottom of my Quick Mill Silvano's portafilter.  The handle that comes with the machine has a double spout mounted on it from the factory.  I use small shot glasses from Bodum which I think would work better with the single spout. After all I am making only one shot glass worth of espresso at a time.

Seems like the answer to this one would be simple - just take off the double spout and install the single spout and call it a day.  There is the rub though.  The double spout appears to my untrained eye to be welded on at the very least.  Super glue might be added to the threads or mixed in with the greenish locktite looking stuff.  Or maybe the portafilter is cast with this double spout attached as part of the mold.  This last option seems most likely after futzing around for the better part of fifteen minutes this evening.

I put it in a small vice but the vice would not  hold suction on the bottom.  Never buy a cheap vice with a suction cup - well, I do use it a lot for other projects, so instead don't buy one to remove the enchanted spout from the Silvano's portafilter - it holds on to it's "precious" like a chrome plated Golem from the Lord of the Rings. After much disgust with the table vice I shoved a Philips head screwdriver through the holes on either side of the spout and torqued that chrome plated brass till it cried uncle.

After finally loosening it enough to remove it I decided against installing the single spout for now.  I like the way the stream of espresso flows down the single hole in the bottom of the portafilter enough that I will leave it this way for now. Now that the portafilter is free from it's unholy bond with the double spout fired in the furnace of Mordor I can install the single whenever I get tired of my slightly naked portafilter.