Any supplies for new Baby shutters?

[Bren Jacques]

I've recently picked up a very early Pathé Baby. It is, I believe, the very first types released and it comes housed in the original box, along with the rubber mat and the instruction manual.

It looks great but as usual the Mazak shutter has swollen causing the mechanism to seize. I know there were a few vendors some years ago who made and supplied new shutters, namely Ken Valentine and Ron Ashton. Does anybody know of anywhere where these shutters may be sourced today?

[Joerg Polzfusz]

It looks like you can make one on your own:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ksyPLzGiIg0

And you can buy one here:
https://www.cinemantika.fr/en/pathe-...101000010.html

[Joerg Polzfusz]

Or do you need this version?
https://www.cinemantika.fr/en/pathe-...101000058.html

[Dominique De Bast]

I heard cinemantika (I personnally don't recommand) closed (I'm surprised their website is still there). You can ask forum member Javier Samaniego, from Spain.

[Ken Finch]

Hi Bren. It is now many years since Ron Ashton was around and Ken Valentine although still with us, being about the same age as me, retired from business some years ago. You may be lucky if he still has any left over but I doubt it. Your best bet is to make one yourself as suggested or get someone to make one for you. I had the same problem with my Pathe PAX and had one made for me by the local model engineering club as I no longer have the facilities to make it myself. The replacements were usually made of brass as the shutter also acts as a flywheel to some extent.

[Dominique De Bast]

Obturador para Pathe Baby - Shutter for Pathe Baby - 8mm Forum

[Ken Finch]

That is probably the easiest replacement design to produce and would work with any of the Pathe Baby models.😊

[Javier Samaniego Jaca]

Obturador con volante de inercia, sin el proyector es manual lo.aconsejo

Shutter with flywheel; without the projector, it operates manually. I recommend it

[Javier Samaniego Jaca]

[Bren Jacques]

Thank you all for your replies, it looks like I have managed to source a good replacement. I will explore the possibility of having a mould made so that new ones can be cast from perhaps a tin alloy as I know the weight is important, especially for those models that are still hand cranked.

It's always been a bit hit-and-miss with the early Baby shutters, some survive perfectly and others are pretty awful. Perhaps it depends on whoever was mixing the alloy on a particular day!