Boolits on closeout at Lowes

While wandering through Lowes this morning I was passing the closeout cart in the main aisle when something caught my eye. It was a cardboard box with a lead warning printed on it. Turned out to be a stack of lead boots for vent pipes. The ones on the cart were 1.5 and 2" and were marked down 50%. Not a bad deal if you need them for a roof repair but nowhere near scrap price. I wandered on and spotted some similar boxes bearing the same warning on a bottom shelf. These were 3" boots and were marked down from $23 to 93 cents. I found a cart and scoffed up all three of them. I weighed them when I got home and they came in at 3 lbs 2 oz each. Almost 10# of lead for 2.65 out the door (after my Lowes military discount. I have no shame).

I asked about markdowns on the remaining sizes and I was told that if they were there long enough they would also be reduced until they sold. I will be checking back.

Will be checking this at my home town lowes maybe before the word gets out.

I will have


You never know what Lowes is going to clear out. I once got 3 brand new anti sweat valves for toilets for $5 each. They normally run $18-$20 each.

When they have a clean up, crushed vent stack covers get tossed.
The manager has given me a few over the years just for asking.

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Originally Posted by Winger Ed.

When they have a clean up, crushed vent stack covers get tossed.
The manager has given me a few over the years just for asking.

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These are all NIB. One box had been opened. I will take them either way at that price although I may put away a set to fit my roof in case it needs to be replaced. I had the neoprene boots replaced with lead about 10 years ago when we saw water on the ceiling of several rooms. Those boots should be OK unless they get damaged.

All I've ever seen were black plastic or aluminum/plastic.

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Originally Posted by ulav8r

All I've ever seen were black plastic or aluminum/plastic.

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Yes, that is what most of them are. A neoprene boot around the pipe with an aluminum flange to nail it to the roof. Problem is the neoprene is not very UV resistant long term. The neoprene rots and cracks and you are left with water running down the vent pipe onto your ceiling. Probably the only option that will be available soon.

Are they in the roofing or plumbing department ? I checked a lowes near me but struck out.

...............About 15 years ago my next door neighbor Ralf called. He was a construction super for a fairly large outfit. I worked night shifts at this time so he told my wife about some free lead I should come and get. I was asleep at the time and she told him I had all the lead I needed :-) However, good ole Ralf knew better then that, so he rounded up a couple laborers to give him a hand. They'd been expanding a radiological room at a hospital and the outfit handling the lead lining was cleaning up and told Ralf he could have all the overage he wanted before the recycler got there.

http://www.fototime.com/A6360893D9B47F1/standard.jpg

And this is what he brought me! Forty 28 lb blocks and thirty six 32 lb blocks for about 2,270 lbs total. Not only that but he stacked it by the side of my garage door :-) It's not pure, but it's fairly soft. Works just fine in the MLers and alloyed up a bit does fine for smokeless work. Luckily he drove a 3/4 ton Ford back and forth to work, but he said the rear bumper was noticeably lower then usual.

................Buckshot

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Originally Posted by Buckshot

...............About 15 years ago my next door neighbor Ralf called. He was a construction super for a fairly large outfit. I worked night shifts at this time so he told my wife about some free lead I should come and get. I was asleep at the time and she told him I had all the lead I needed :-) However, good ole Ralf knew better then that, so he rounded up a couple laborers to give him a hand. They'd been expanding a radiological room at a hospital and the outfit handling the lead lining was cleaning up and told Ralf he could have all the overage he wanted before the recycler got there.

http://www.fototime.com/A6360893D9B47F1/standard.jpg

And this is what he brought me! Forty 28 lb blocks and thirty six 32 lb blocks for about 2,270 lbs total. Not only that but he stacked it by the side of my garage door :-) It's not pure, but it's fairly soft. Works just fine in the MLers and alloyed up a bit does fine for smokeless work. Luckily he drove a 3/4 ton Ford back and forth to work, but he said the rear bumper was noticeably lower then usual.

................Buckshot

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Wow, thats a good Friend!

I've hauled a weighed 2700# in my 3/4 ton a couple of times. It smoothed out the ride pretty nicely!

^^^^ Ralf should never ever have to buy another beer when you're within hollerin' distance!

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Originally Posted by uscra112

^^^^ Ralf should never ever have to buy another beer when you're within hollerin' distance!

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Thats what I was thinking too!!!

There are friends and there are FRIENDS. We know which category Ralf falls into.[smilie=l:

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Originally Posted by 1Hawkeye

Are they in the roofing or plumbing department ? I checked a lowes near me but struck out.

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Most of this was on a portable shelf located in the aisle in the middle of the store. They move it around so it is not always in the same place. The 3" boots that I bought Thursday were not on the cart. They were on an end cap on the end of the row across from the lumber desk.

I went back today to check on the remaining boots. They were still there and still priced the same. I did find one more 3" on the shelf. I picked it up and walked down to where I found the other three marked 93 cents. Peeled the sticker off of the shelf and stuck it on the box. I walked over to the lumber desk and asked the guy to check the computer to be sure I had not missed any more. It just showed the one in stock. He commented on the bargain price and I told him that I was waiting for them to drop the price on the ones on the clearance shelf and I wanted the rest of them. "Let's go take a look". The story concludes at the checkout.:cbpour:

I ended up with 50# or so at about 35 cents a pound. Not a super bargain but half what I would have had to pay to get the same thing from the scrap yard. Who would have thought I would ever be reduced to begging on the street corner for lead.

I bet those truck rode like a Cadillac.

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Originally Posted by scotner

I went back today to check on the remaining boots. They were still there and still priced the same. I did find one more 3" on the shelf. I picked it up and walked down to where I found the other three marked 93 cents. Peeled the sticker off of the shelf and stuck it on the box. I walked over to the lumber desk and asked the guy to check the computer to be sure I had not missed any more. It just showed the one in stock. He commented on the bargain price and I told him that I was waiting for them to drop the price on the ones on the clearance shelf and I wanted the rest of them. "Let's go take a look". The story concludes at the checkout.:cbpour:

I ended up with 50# or so at about 35 cents a pound. Not a super bargain but half what I would have had to pay to get the same thing from the scrap yard. Who would have thought I would ever be reduced to begging on the street corner for lead.

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Thats a nice score and at a decent price. It should also be nice and clean, unlike the used ones that have paint, tar and oxidation on them. It pays to always have your radar on!!! Good job!

Got a hunting buddy that's a roofer. Every time I go by his truck, I usually get a couple of used ones out of the back that he saves for me. Pure lead except for the solder joints. Got a pretty good batch saved up looking for a local BP shooter for a trade. Got enough tin and lino to alloy it but have a barn full of lead now. The barn might blow away but I guarantee that the foundation will be there./beagle

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Originally Posted by beagle

Got a hunting buddy that's a roofer. Every time I go by his truck, I usually get a couple of used ones out of the back that he saves for me. Pure lead except for the solder joints. Got a pretty good batch saved up looking for a local BP shooter for a trade. Got enough tin and lino to alloy it but have a barn full of lead now. The barn might blow away but I guarantee that the foundation will be there./beagle

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I still have two 5 gallon buckets of COWW plus an unknown number of ingots (need to inventory). Another bucket of SOWW and some ingots as well plus about 125# of lead pipe in ingot form. I will continue to work from the COWW supply as long as it holds out but I did not want to pass up any clean lead at near scrap price.

I have a few pieces of the xray room lead "tiles" with the sort of tongue and groove edges. Not like a stack, more like a few under a shelf on the floor. Really nice lead. I once saw a pallet of lead plates it was for a cow xray machine installation. I didn't bite even though the price wasn't too bad. The pieces were all huge lead plate and my little commute mobile wasn't big enough and I had little desire to chop up large pieces.

Sigh now I scrounge for the occasional plumbers lead ingots and try to not overflow my two crates for plain. Need to do a spring batch alloy supply casting session to make some room.

Anytime you can end up with lead for less than 50 cents a pound you are doing really well. Clean boots at that price is a most excellent reward for your sharp eye and persistence.

I have never seen a "close out" display in our local Lowe's. Maybe I just haven't looked hard enough. I think I will take a trip over to Lowe's today or tomorrow.

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Originally Posted by TNsailorman

I have never seen a "close out" display in our local Lowe's. Maybe I just haven't looked hard enough. I think I will take a trip over to Lowe's today or tomorrow.

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It is a portable rack here and they do move it around sometimes. Just ask an employee where their clearance items are located. Like I said, there were some of the 3" boots on an end cap across from the lumber desk so there is no fixed place where it will show up.

Well I tried the 3 Lowes near me and struck out they had gotten rid of or don't carry the lead boots. I guess if I'm on a road trip and have time...

I don't know how they decide when to drop an item from inventory, whether the decision is made at store level or higher up. If I pass another store and have time I will probably stop in but not going to make a special trip.