On the right is our Miro-Flex Model 18 Miro-Flare. On the left is an unmarked version. Note the holders for flags positioned between the reflectors.
Nobody wants to imagine a breakdown, especially at night. But it’s wise to take precautions and always has been. Rudimentary tool kits were virtually standard equipment with cars until fairly recently, and the wise motorist supplemented these with hazard gear, fluids and often a blanket.
Our Arrow Safety Device Model 96 Reflect-o-Flare.
These days a well-restored tool kit makes a great item to display along with a vintage car, and it may very well come in handy in the event of a minor mechanical failure that doesn’t warrant a call to roadside assistance. Fluid tins, usually empty, are also occasionally seen—especially strapped to the running boards of vintage touring cars. What about hazard gear, though?
The flare reflectors fold flat for storage. The Miro-Flare is its own case, helping to protect the reflectors from dirt and damage.
We have a few of these flare reflectors hanging around the office as décor items: three Arrow Safety Model 96 Reflect-o-Flare units, a Miro-Flex Model 18 Miro-Flare and an unmarked piece. Neat to look at, but we didn’t really know much about them.
The case of the Miro-Flare says “Model 18 Miro-Flare, Reg U.S. Pat. Off., Miro-Flex Company Inc., Wichita, Kansas. Before using flare, wipe lenses clean, set flares on highway so lenses directly face oncoming traffic. Meets I.C.C. requirements.”
A cruise down the information superhighway showed a lot of them for sale, but not much published history. Near as we can determine, they were designed to supplement the conventional road flare (a.k.a. “fusee”) by providing additional reflection back toward traffic when the flare was set in front of the reflectors.
The well-worn Reflect-o-Flare case was originally red and has patent dates all preceding Pearl Harbor.
Trademark information on the Miro-Flare indicates it was first marketed in the late 1930s and was still relevant up through 1979 and probably beyond. The patents present on the Reflect-o-Flares suggest an origin around the same time. Both devices include language indicating they meet the standards of the Interstate Commerce Commission, a Federal agency that regulated trucking from 1935 until it was folded into the Department of Transportation. They’re all ruggedly built and we suspect they’d be just as effective today as they were when new.
Do you collect vintage break-down items or keep them in your car?
See original article at" https://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2016/09/22/vintage-road-hazard-gear/
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