It’a detained by magnets so it doesn’t get in the basket and interfere with spreading out the grounds. Needs a clean up with a lick of sandpaper, pretty stupid but these things cost like 50 bucks /shrug
EDIT: appreciate all the concern for my health, it touches dry coffee grounds. I agree that if it got wet there’d be health problems but unless it gets real humid there’s just no opportunity for decay. As for random leaching same diff, without heat and wet it’s not really a concern.
That said I probably will seal an improved design, this is just a test piece.
If it’s at all magnetic (I know some stainless isn’t) then you could probably just slap a neodidlium magnet on either side to hold it. Or you could make something to locate the phlangey things on the portafilter and attach them to the outside of the ring? Could even be as simple as 4 nails with the tips ground off?
I have neodymium magnets from another project. I should do that. They’re about 2cm in diameter, but I can probably cut them to size.
I am by no means sure of this, but wouldn’t cutting them throw off the magnetic alignment?
No. The magnetism comes from macroscopic ordering of microscopic features.
Basically you know how if you strap magnets together you get big magnet? small magnet is smaller magnets strapped together.
Magnets are very fragile though and cutting them is hard.
I’ve broken several of them, and they kept their magnetism. Neodymium magnets are like friggin glass in their fragility, though.