Storage and Sorting LEGO

[Inzane]

I have some doubts.

See the white parts in the bottom-right of the picture?

http://antp.be/temp/lego/P1090981.jpg

There is one container for the 1x2, one for the 1x4, and the large one of the 1x6 and longer.

Similar case for the blue, red and yellow. I can't imagine finding a marsk-blue 1x2 in the middle of all these 1x1 rather than in one on the few small drawers containing all my maersk-blue parts mixed :D (visible at the top of the picture)

And if I have a whole tub of maersk-blue parts, I would split them by type like I did for white parts (and other common colors)

I said "all else being equal", meaning apples to apples all parts of identical color different shape, vs. all parts identical shape different color. (Assume same approximate lot/storage size, not sub-sortings).

[Paul B Technic]

The exception to this cycle seems to be with Technic, where function almost always trumps color, but then, Technic tends to be drawn from a smaller palette to begin with. When color _does_ matter, Technic designers are usually rummaging through a bin with only 4 or 5 colors mixed together as opposed to standard bricks where you could easily have the same part in two dozen colors getting in your way while looking for the color you actually want.

I agree about your comment on Technic. I sort my type / function and this works well for me. As we have a limited range of colours it is easy to pick out the one I need.

[Wodanis]

Most of my storage is in Serelite 15 quart containers in plastic freezer bags. I try to put as many bags as possible in a container and I try to squeeze all the excess air out of the bags. I cannot see my storage for the parts taking much less space once the 35 cubic feet of sets are parted out.

I have the same set up right now. I have about 6 Serelite drawer sections. Right now though my collection requires more drawers as I have been using some of my lego boxes and extra cardboard boxes (from FedEx deliveries) to store other sets. Incidentally Star Wars boxes make for an excellent storage space for the ziplocked bagged sets. I have the drawers separated according to themes. i.e. Fire sets, police and great vehicles etc are stored in their own drawer. I don't think I will ever separate my parts according to colour. To my mind that is too cumbersome for my purposes. What I am trying to do now is catalogue my loose parts so that when I am building projects I don't order excess when I already have it. Already I am beginning to lose track of what I possess.

Right now my collection is about 80,000 bricks and rising. From early Space and Lego Castle to Star Wars and City. Whew!

[romdam]

Do most all of you keep your sets separate from other pieces? What I use for storage are the free USPS priority mailing boxes. I'll write a number on the box and then I have a website that I keep track of what set is in what box. My spares I haven't hit yet. Only about 25% are sorted. The rest are in those USPS boxes, sorted by color at least. I have 15 boxes of those to sort yet.

[fred67]

I don't know how many pieces I have: brickset estimates around 120k from sets, but then I have 10's of Ks from bricklink and pick-a-brick, too, and what I've found is:

For smaller collections, sort by TYPE; it's far easier, in general, to pick out a red 2x4 from a bin of 2x4s than it is to pick out a red 2x4 from a bin of all red bricks.

As my collection grew, I would separate out colors that I had a lot of. For example, if I got a K box of green 2x4s from the LEGO Store, I'd also remove greens from by general 2x4 bin; that keeps it easy to find other colors and not have to dig through a sea of green to find them.

HOWEVER, it's entirely subjective, because what I've also found is that I tend to build with one color... for example, a gray mountain, a brown tree, a blue building... so you want all the different types of bricks in one color handy and not all separated.

At this point, while I have tons of special pieces (technic, food, bars, flags, etc.,) separated by time, I'm moving towards Akro-Mills storage containers (they've been linked to here before, here they are on Amazon - I prefer the larger drawers, which can be separated, rather than the smaller drawers); So I have been reorganizing so that each cabinet has a color (or multiple colors for uncommon colors where I don't have a lot of bricks), and the types are separated into different drawers. This obviously has the drawback that for bulk bricks - like 2x4 and 2x2, they don't all fit in one drawer, so I need to "overflow" them to separate containers.

But the bonus is that if I want to build a castle, I can take the gray storage container and have all the various grays available and organized.

It's rough... and expensive. I only have four of those bins so far (and one of another brand that I don't like so much). In addition, I have a ton of the Stanley "suitcase" style organizers (the ones with removable bins) and Sterilite drawer systems, but as I move forward I'm favoring the Akro-Mills ones.

[Andy D]

Do most all of you keep your sets separate from other pieces? What I use for storage are the free USPS priority mailing boxes. I'll write a number on the box and then I have a website that I keep track of what set is in what box. My spares I haven't hit yet. Only about 25% are sorted. The rest are in those USPS boxes, sorted by color at least. I have 15 boxes of those to sort yet.

When I break a set I put the parts into my inventory according type, it is a set no more. If I ever want to rebuid a set (I doubt I would) I would just find the parts from my inventory.

My storage system is by type, then if it is warrented, by color, for example if I have enough of a color of say, reddish brown 2x4 bricks it would get it's own baggie while other 2x4 bricks would remain in mixed colors baggies.

I have seperate bins (full) of bricks, plates and slopes, etc. I plan to catalog my inventory by matching my loose bricks and sets to my Basebrick account, then put a sheet in each bin with the contents on the bin on the sheet. Hopefully that will make it easier to find parts, time will tell. I feel like most that a catalog/storage/inventory system is an ever evolving thing. I doubt it ill ever be perfect.

Good luck to all...

Andy D

Edited January 15, 2014 by Andy D

[fred67]

Oh... I didn't address that question. I generally keep sets together unless I bought one specifically for parts, which is actually pretty rare. I have a lot of parts to build with, so generally go to bricklink or pick-a-brick to get specific ones I may not have.

[TheLegoDr]

The only sets I have together are sets that I haven't sorted out yet into my general population OR they are already together on display. I tend to not keep the set pieces together because most sets I buy are ONLY for the figures and the pieces are bonus. So I have no need to keep a lot together.

[Wodanis]

I keep my sets separate in their own ziplock bags from my spare parts. Right now I have the separate parts in PaB containers or in small plastic baggies (like they use for beads). I like to buy the parts for my MOCs and keep those together apart from the sets. Just makes things so much easier for when I want to build something again.

[Paul B Technic]

Well it seems that my shelves are not working out like I hoped so I am now looking for a cupboard to store my sets in. Has anybody tried something like this and have any feedback on them?

http://www.fantasticfurniture.com.au/Products/Kids//p/BETUTI2DROOOFOIBEE

[Paul B Technic]

I have purchased myself a new display cabinet today:

http://paulstechnic.blogspot.com.au/2013/12/new-display-cabinet.html

[Andy D]

I have purchased myself a new display cabinet today:

http://paulstechnic....ay-cabinet.html

Great! It looks like it will help to keep your assembled sets fairly dust-free.

Andy D

[xinbei]

Here is my most recent solution of LEGO bricks organizer and sorter while building big sets or making my mocs, which is modified from a (shabby) shoe rack:

Find it quite convenient, but still not sufficient for a huge set (such as Death Star I guess).

[Paul B Technic]

I have just added a post to my blog on how I sort and store my parts collection with photos.

http://paulstechnic.blogspot.com.au/2013/12/sorting-and-storing-parts-how-i-do-it.html

[Dubbadgrim]

Well guys and gals its time for me to start sorting my castle minifigs (most of my figs except the ones in old random sets on display)

http://imgur.com/FBCnYyt

And this is my attempt to make any form of progress

http://imgur.com/EbHFyVf

Im pretty sure keeping all the heads separate is a good idea, but is anyone for/against storing legs with torsos?

[Darth Punk]

Has anyone tried to catalog their parts via an app or online. I'm starting to buy bulk lots containing a wide variety of pieces. I was hoping to have a database which would readily allow my to see what sets I could build with my parts.

[Phoxtane]

Has anyone tried to catalog their parts via an app or online. I'm starting to buy bulk lots containing a wide variety of pieces. I was hoping to have a database which would readily allow my to see what sets I could build with my parts.

Sounds like Rebrickable is what you want. I'm up to 11k bricks and it hasn't given me problems.

[programmerdan]

Has anyone tried to catalog their parts via an app or online. I'm starting to buy bulk lots containing a wide variety of pieces. I was hoping to have a database which would readily allow my to see what sets I could build with my parts.

That's a great question, one I'd like to know the answer to as well. I know that the developer of the Wall-of-bricks (www.wallofbricks.com) had some interest in that exact problem but from a different angle -- building sets using PaB wall selections -- but I'd be interested in making an approximate inventory of my loose parts and seeing what sets they combine to form, that'd be useful (to a degree -- my loose parts are generally used just for MOCs).

[edit]

@Phoxtane -- of course. I keep meaning to sign up over there, thanks for reminding me!

Edited January 13, 2014 by programmerdan

[Darkdragon]

Im pretty sure keeping all the heads separate is a good idea, but is anyone for/against storing legs with torsos?

I think it really depends on the size of your collection. For my own, I've always kept torsos separate from legs. I've had to sort printed legs away from non-printed as well.

The reason I like to sort everything separately, even when I didn't have much, was because that helps (me at least) to be more creative instead of "well this legs goes with this torso because that's the way it's always been". I find searching through separately gives me more ideas on what can work together.

[tomdobs55]

Im pretty sure keeping all the heads separate is a good idea, but is anyone for/against storing legs with torsos?

I keep everything seperate, Legs in one pile, torsos in another, and heads in another. The only parts I actually keep together in my storage is hinges, both the locking kind and the old finger hinges.

[Wodanis]

I keep everything seperate, Legs in one pile, torsos in another, and heads in another. The only parts I actually keep together in my storage is hinges, both the locking kind and the old finger hinges.

That's the funny thing with me, I've kept all my mini figures built while in storage...not sure if that is good or bad? Haha once built they have little brick souls. Would be awful to break them up.

Edited January 15, 2014 by Wodanis

[naf]

That's the funny thing with me, I've kept all my mini figures built while in storage...not sure if that is good or bad? Haha once built they have little brick souls. Would be awful to break them up.

My old minifigs were stored for over 20 years built, and didn't have any issues. I'd much rather store them put together, less likely to lose parts that way :)

[BrickG]

I've mostly given up. I have several empty sorting bin thingies. I have no time for my Lego. I have no time for sorting. Sorting took up 90% of my Lego time back when I had Lego time.

[62Bricks]

I haven't been through this whole thread to see if this has been posted before, but check out Akiyuki's cool sorting machines:

- Part Sorter

- Axle Sorter

- Liftarm Sorter

[Andy D]

Has anyone tried to catalog their parts via an app or online. I'm starting to buy bulk lots containing a wide variety of pieces. I was hoping to have a database which would readily allow my to see what sets I could build with my parts.

I have been using BaseBrick, ReBrickable and Brickset. I like BaseBrick better because I can change my view of my inventory from parts to sets and I like the view mode better (my choice, other may like Brickset better). I can see what parts I have as loose parts and what parts are in sets. You can enter parts in to BaseBrick as sets or as loose parts. I find that my better inventory is in BaseBrick. There may be an interface between BaseBrick and ReBrickable I just have not discovered it yet. I also have a portion of my inventory in BrickSet and Brickset does have an interface between Brickset and Rebrickable. BaseBrick, ReBrickable and Brickset all have their strong points, the key is to finding out which features work best for you.

Andy D

Edited January 15, 2014 by Andy D