8mm Forum: Pathe Baby Shutters

This is topic Pathe Baby Shutters in forum 9.5mm for sale/trade/wanted at 8mm Forum.

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Posted by Ron Ashton (Member # 2804) on November 03, 2011, 02:47 PM:

Pathe Baby "Ashton" shutters are available again.
They were previously supplied exclusively by my late friend Warton Parfitt since 1998 and I worked with him to perfect the design so as to make it universally suitable for all models of the Baby Projector. The prototype of the Mark IV shutter cast in Lead Free Alloy was approved by Warton only a few months before he died, so I can confidently offer these to all enthusiasts.

For more details please email: ronashton.ra.eng@virgin.net

Posted by Simon McConway (Member # 219) on November 03, 2011, 04:53 PM:

Welcome to the forum Ron. It is nice to see the late great Warton mentioned here. I am sure your very well engineered shutters will keep his work alive.

Posted by Paul Morf (Member # 3636) on May 07, 2013, 01:31 PM:

Hello! I am a 7th grade student at a Montessori School in Colorado and am new to the 8mm Forum. I am a part of our school’s theater group- The Community Theater Guild. My teacher has an old Pathe Baby Projector, a while ago, we turned it on and tried to run it to see what condition it was in. The lamp was intact and we threaded a 9.5mm film through it. The problem is that what I have learned is called the shutter or flywheel, is not intact. I have done some research, and learned that the material they were made out of would expand over time and crack. Do any of you know where I could find a replacement shutter/flywheel in the US?

Posted by Bob Pucci (Member # 8) on May 07, 2013, 06:13 PM:

The only place to purchase them is across the pond in the UK.

Posted by Ron Ashton (Member # 2804) on May 08, 2013, 02:44 AM:

Hello
Shipping to USA or any other Country is no problem as I have sold 90 % outside the UK. These days Paypal makes payment easy.
A booklet with detailed Fitting Instructions is supplied and now also comes with Assembly Aids.
Regards

Ron

Posted by Bill Brandenstein (Member # 892) on May 08, 2013, 01:09 PM:

Welcome to the forum, Paul. It's always nice to welcome a younger person to the crowd, particularly one as articulate as you! Best wishes on your quest!

Posted by Paul Morf (Member # 3636) on November 15, 2013, 11:48 AM:

Hey Ron, when I posted that last comment, I was not sure what the piece I needed was called. I still do not, but I do know that it is the part of the projector inside that I believe is what regulates the speed of the film going through. I will try to post a picture of it next.

Thanks!

[ November 15, 2013, 03:10 PM: Message edited by: Paul Morf ]

Posted by Dominique De Bast (Member # 3798) on November 15, 2013, 12:04 PM:

Bob, there is also a source from Spain. Julio Castells (taller@juliocastells.com) sells them for 24 euros. Paul, the shutter is a round part that masks the fram when the film is moving (a film is made of a lot of still frames projected quickly, you need to mask the moment of one frame replaces another).

Posted by Janice Glesser (Member # 2758) on November 15, 2013, 01:14 PM:

Paul...I bought a shutter from Ron and successfully installed it myself. Ron and other members helped me when I ran into problems...but now my Pathe Baby is working great. I suggest you email Ron directly...I'm not sure how frequently he monitors the forum.

Here are a couple of threads that might be helpful:

http://8mmforum.film-tech.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=9;t=000204

http://8mmforum.film-tech.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=9;t=000214

Posted by Ron Ashton (Member # 2804) on December 23, 2013, 03:43 AM:

Hi Janice
A Merry Christmas to you and to everyone who Loves a 9.5 Pathe Baby.
A truly amazing machine that still keeps working with a bit of TLC. Long may it reign, giving so much pleasure right across the World and those ancient 9.5 mm films still look as good as when new, or nearly so if carefully stored unlike a lot of more modern 8 mm films of mine, s "Hats Off" to Pathe for great film processing all those years ago.
To everyone in 8mm Forum have a great 2014.

Ron

Posted by Janice Glesser (Member # 2758) on December 23, 2013, 02:59 PM:

Merry Christmas to you too, Ron. Last night I ran a couple of 9.5mm films on my baby to show my son whose home for the holidays. He was amazed.

Thank you for all your help with the shutter. It's wonderful that you can produce such a precision product that can bring these little projectors back to life.

Happy Holidays!

[ December 23, 2013, 09:21 PM: Message edited by: Janice Glesser ]

Posted by Paul Adsett (Member # 25) on December 23, 2013, 03:57 PM:

Have a happypathe Christmas Janice! [Big Grin]

Posted by Janice Glesser (Member # 2758) on December 23, 2013, 08:39 PM:

Merry Christmas to you Paul.... May the Pathe' be with you [Smile]

Posted by Manuel Vila (Member # 4754) on March 22, 2015, 05:24 PM:

Hello anybody/everybody,

I have a question for Janice or anyone that can help me. I have a similar problem than the one she described with the shutter when she wanted to change it. I have already purchased a new one from a supplier. Obviously it comes without the shaft. Should I use the old shaft? It seems to be glued or welded. Do I have to destroy completely the old shutter to extract the shaft? Is there a way to do it and keep the old shutter?

Thank you very much for any help.

Posted by Ron Ashton (Member # 2804) on March 22, 2015, 05:44 PM:

Hello Manuel

The original Pathe Baby Shutters had the Shutter Shaft pressed into it as the Shaft is serrated forming a "key" in the soft metal of the Shutter. Disassembly is by tapping the Shaft out taking care to protect the Shaft end by using an Aluminium or Brass Drift. If done carefully you may salvage the old Shutter but they are very fragile and will probably break up.
Re-assembly methods depend on which Shutter you bought and "Ashton Shutters" always come with full fitting instructions as this procedure has to be carefully done to achieve success.
Please let us know how you get on.

Ron Ashton

Posted by Manuel Vila (Member # 4754) on March 23, 2015, 05:02 AM:

Thank you very much for your quick response. I think my shutter is already too crubled in the interior not to break into a lot of small pieces. We'll see.

Posted by Manuel Vila (Member # 4754) on March 25, 2015, 05:53 AM:

Hello,

I succeeded getting the shaft from the old shutter without breaking it further. My problem now is how to insert it in the hole of the new shutter. The diameter of this hole must be smaller than the shaft's to get a tight grip between them, and in fact it is. I have tried heating the shutter to make the hole provisionally bigger, but it doesn't dilate enough. I do not know if there any other procedure...

Posted by Janice Glesser (Member # 2758) on March 25, 2015, 11:14 AM:

At least with my shutter... Ron Ashton provided detailed instructions on inserting the shaft on the new shutter. It must be done carefully as not to damage the soft metal of the original shaft. Did you not receive the instructions?

Once the shutter is mounted back on the shaft...the tedious task of positioning it back threw the cam is very challenging. I recommend using a flashlight pointed straight down on the cam to more easily see lining the shaft up with the cam.

Here are some pics of my installation:

Remove old shutter.

New shutter install kit.

Insert original shaft onto new shutter. The shaft must be carefully tapped straight into the new shutter. It is a tight fit. Do not hammer directly on the shaft...but rather use something between the shaft end and the hammer to avoid damaging the soft metal of the shaft.

Reposition shaft thru cam.

Completed.

Posted by Ron Ashton (Member # 2804) on March 25, 2015, 01:01 PM:

Hello again Manuel

Yes Janice is quite right, take care with the Tapping " operation. because if you burr over the shaft end it will not enter the Support Bush on re-assembly.

OK so first question is,

1.What is your new Shutter made of, is it aluminium or brass, which is usual. Only mine is lead free Alloy as far as I know which certainly does not require and should NOT be heated up and is the same assembly procedure as used originally by Pathe.
2.Will the non serrated end of the Shaft enter the hole in your new shutter?
3.You know that the cut-outs in you Shutter should be in the Correct position relative the "Flats" on the Shutter Shaft.......my assembly instructions show how this is done and if it is done correctly then Film Pull Down happens when the Shutter cuts off the Light to the Gate.
4.Would a copy of my Assembly Instructions help...the synchronising part will be the part applicable to you new Shutter.

Ron

Posted by Manuel Vila (Member # 4754) on March 30, 2015, 02:57 AM:

Hello,

Thank you both Janice and Ron for your explanations (and photos). They have been quite clarifying.

My “real” problem was that the diameter of the hole in the shutter (brass) was 6mm and the diameter of the shaft was 7mm. I didn’t expect such a big difference. Once noticed, I just machined the hole to 7mm and everything went all right. With your explanations and very good photos and that french link on changing the shutter I have now my Pathe Baby working!

I also had the problem with the bulb. I have changed it to a 12V 10W halogen light and it seems a little not-enough-bright. I’d like to try something with some more watts, but I have not found an halogen light with 12W or 16W or similar values yet.

Regards.

Posted by Ron Ashton (Member # 2804) on March 30, 2015, 04:32 AM:

Hello Manuel

Well Done and so pleased to hear you sorted out the problem with your new Shutter.

Regarding Halogen lamps there is a 20W you can use with the same pin sizes, but only use this with non-notched films or you will blister the film frame in the gate.

Several of us are playing with LED lighting but the jury is still out on this one as the problem is finding a suitable LED and how to squeeze the light through the gate.

I hope to be able to report on this subject later on if I can solve the problem to my satisfaction.

Regards

Posted by Ken Finch (Member # 2768) on March 30, 2015, 11:46 AM:

Ron is absolutely correct about the lamp not exceeding 10 watts. for notched films. You should find that you get a brighter picture than the one the original lamp gave and it is cooler. There have been a number of posts on this subject. Suggest you have a good browse. Ken Finch. [Smile]

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