Anyone remember these things?

[caryc]

Watching an old movie tonight, people were driving and came up to an old wooden barrier for some road work. It was lit up with these things. Wow, it's been a long time since I've seen one of them. How many of you remember these things? Of course, the ones I remember were all black.

 

[hdxr750]

Smudge Pot's.

 

[Snake45]

I remember seeing them, but like you, I only saw them in black.

 

[Bob Wright]

What a coincidence! I just recently posted a rememberance of those on a FaceBook page called "You're Probably From Memphis if..........."

And can still remember the aroma of those things.


Bob Wright

 

[coach]

Red and green for port and starboard running lights on an old boat :)

 

[Don Lovel]

I got in so much trouble when I was about 10yrs old. Me and a buddy found some a construction crew had left on our way walking home from school, so we started messing with them and I got kerosene on my good school jeans. You know, the pair of jeans only to be worn for school and definitely not stunk up with kerosene. Mom beat my butt for that one

 

[ditto1958]

I sure do remener those, but as I recall they were black.

 

[Fox Mike]

Didn't they used to use them in winter in Florida to stave off the oranges freezing?

 

[Bob Wright]

Didn't they used to use them in winter in Florida to stave off the oranges freezing?

I think they used a bigger version.

Bob Wright

 

[caryc]

They aren't smudge pots. These are smudge pots used in orchards.

 

[CGDustDevil]

What a coincidence! I just recently posted a rememberance of those on a FaceBook page called "You're Probably From Memphis if..........."

And can still remember the aroma of those things.


Bob Wright

Yep! We called 'em "Flare pots"... The construction people would come along at sunset and fill & light 'em. Love those things!

 

[Conservative]

Funny, I was thinking those a few days ago and bingo they're being discussed.

I think the last time I saw one I was still in the single digit age of 7 or 8.

 

[Ale-8(1)]

Yep. Usually black.

:-)

 

[Wyandot Jim]

They aren't smudge pots. These are smudge pots used in orchards.

Those have other names just depends on what part of the country you are from. Since my Dad was a Plastering Contractor we would fire up the Salamanders to heat the house before plastering the interior walls in the winter.
"Salamander heater aka smudge pot or orchard heater"

The ones in the post are also called Smudge Pots, Toledo Torch, Signal Light, Road Torch. Yep seen a bunch of them also

 

[redhawker]

Highway torches. The predecessor of flares.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5AK0fbq44g

 

[cas6969]

I remember finding one as a kid and my father telling me what it was. We kept it a while as a play thing, it was our bomb. :)

 

[Colonel Daddy]

Yes, they are called smudge pots in our area, but not the kind used in the orchards. The pots shown were used at night to indicate road construction.Had an uncle that worked for the road dept. Seems he had 1 or 2 after he retired.

 

[SamV]

I recall them too. I remember seeing them as road markers for construction or for other road hazards. I always wanted one as a kid. I remember the large smudge pots also. We went to the farmer's market a few times a week. The farmers and vendors would have them going to warm up on cold days. It seemed like every time I walked over to one to get warm, I noticed there was frequently a sweet potato or two on the base. As a kid, I wondered how many sweet potatoes did those guys eat?

 

[wizofwas]

Yep, I remember them too. But only the black ones. IIRC we called them smudge pots too.

 

[Bull Barrel]

Theh retired those at MODoT right before I started working there.

 

[Specs]

I remember those too, I lighted my first cigarette with one. I think I was about 10-11 at the time. Off topic, but I smoked until I was 43, quit, and am now 73.

 

[toysoldier]

Those were sold as patio bug repellers, to be filled with citronella oil. I have one, haven't used it for over 30 years.

 

[Jimbo357mag]

Stinky kerosene smudge pots replaced by battery powdered flashing lights. Who would have thought of that back then?

Farmers around here used those smudge pots and burned old tires to keep the frost off the fields. Now-a-days they use sprinklers and the downdraft from helicopters to keep the frost off.

 

[tinman]

Flare pots......we painted ours in distinctive colors to "limit" thefts by other paving contractors.

 

[#1rugerman]

Anyone remember LSMFT (lucky strike means fine tobacco) or Winston tastes good like a (clap, clap) cigarette should, happy trails to you until we meet again, and a hearty hi oh silver and away, I get my kicks on Route 66, see the USA in a Chevrolet, everybody loves somebody someday, head um up move um out rawhide, a slice of my youth.

 

[Rick Courtright]

Hi,

In my neighborhood, "smudge pot" meant the device in Cary's second picture with the tall chimney for grove usage. I think we called the little pots in the OP highway torches or something similar. All ours were black as I recall, too.

Wednesday nights we used to have pot shoots at the trap range which could involve a lot of just standing around if one got put out quickly. Since it could get fairly chilly this time of year, one of the regulars brought a smudge pot, "rescued" from a local orange grove, every week. It kept everyone more than warm all evening. Filled with old used motor oil, once it was all warmed up, that chimney glowed bright red. From 10 ft or so away it was great, closer and it was uncomfortably hot, so nobody crowded it. ;)

Air quality guys were the death knell of those pots.

Rick C

 

[GunnyGene]

Absolutely. Used them on M-1's and M-14's at the KD ranges. :)

 

[6GUNSONLY]

I remember them well, but have to admit I hadn't thought about them in years. I always wondered how long they would burn when I was a kid.

 

[Conservative]

#1rugerman,

Your post...makes me realize my mortality...

 

[caryc]

Anyone remember LSMFT (lucky strike means fine tobacco) or Winston tastes good like a (clap, clap) cigarette should, happy trails to you until we meet again, and a hearty hi oh silver and away, I get my kicks on Route 66, see the USA in a Chevrolet, everybody loves somebody someday, head um up move um out rawhide, a slice of my youth.

I remember them all. I smoked Luckies for about 25 years until I finally quit. We had another phrase for the LSMFT.