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Apart from many reels
of 9.5 mm film, much of
it sound film, there was
a Pathé PAX 9.5 mm
sound projector – or
should I say parts of it!

At this time, I had only
ever seen pictures of a
PAX, but a general
inspection showed it to
be a far superior
machine to the other
Pathé 9.5 mm sound The ELC type lamp (24 volt 250 watt) mounted in a holder scavenged
projectors, the VOX and from a slide projector fitted nicely into the available space.
the SON.

The machine, for unknown reason had The mechanism:
been gutted. It was really only the main Applying power to the motor resulted in
casting with a few mechanical parts no action. Removal of the motor showed
remaining. Missing were the spool arms, that someone had “got to” the centrifugal
projection lens, amplifier, lamp, etc., and speed regulator, and had damaged both
of course the motor failed to turn over. the 16 fps and 24 fps sections.

I left the poor old machine sitting on my Removing the belt and turning over the
work bench for some months, while mechanism by hand, it moved freely and
thinking about what could be done with it. the claw, mechanism worked correctly.
The die cast shutter, although showing
At this point, one needs to take into signs of its age, seemed to be serviceable.
account that although 9.5 mm was a So, the first job was to fit a new motor.
popular home movie format in Australia
up until the late 1950s, 9.5 mm sound I have used a number of Bell & Howell
films did not really take off, in the main motors from defunct 16 mm projectors
due to the high cost of the imported over time. They are excellent
equipment, so my chances of finding replacements for old style motors, as they
another PAX and/or parts to restore it was have feedback speed regulation and once
unlikely. set, will keep constant speed – they also
have 16 and 24 fps speed adjusting
At about this point, I decided to rebuild it potentiometers and with the addition of
as an operating machine, and not as a another potentiometer fitted to the front
show piece. panel of the projector, they can be made
into a variable speed motor.
And so, began the task of a full rebuild.

REEL DEALS June 2021 33