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Being the New Year and all, I made but one resolution that I truly want to
carry out: sorting my Lego collection. Scanning through Brickshelf, I've
noticed a lot of pictures with an array of sorting bins, containers, boxes,
etc. My question to the community is: What technique for sorting do you use?
Please include links to pictures, explanations as to how you made your choice
and just how far down does your sorting go (i.e. "Every brick has it's bin" or
"All red bricks are in 1 container"). I figured I'd ask here first so as to get
a good idea of WHERE to even start ;-)
-alex
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In lugnet.general, Alex Cruz writes:
> Being the New Year and all, I made but one resolution that I truly want to
> carry out: sorting my Lego collection. Scanning through Brickshelf, I've
> noticed a lot of pictures with an array of sorting bins, containers, boxes,
> etc. My question to the community is: What technique for sorting do you use?
> Please include links to pictures, explanations as to how you made your choice
> and just how far down does your sorting go (i.e. "Every brick has it's bin" or
> "All red bricks are in 1 container"). I figured I'd ask here first so as to get
> a good idea of WHERE to even start ;-)
>
> -alex
Alex,
The technique used depends on the size of your collection. After a certain
point, putting all of a color in a bin becomes excessively difficult to use
especially with black. Obviously the "perfect" sort would have all pieces
sorted by part then by color. The only thing is it is very expensive to get
enough storage for for each piece/color plus the space to store all of that.
So you will need to figure out your own compromise. Remember, the more
granular you sort the more bins you need to access when you build.
If you read through the .storage newsgroup, you will find a lot of answers
to your questions.
Good Luck,
Jude
X-FUT to .storage
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In lugnet.general, Jude Beaudin writes:
> If you read through the .storage newsgroup, you will find a lot of answers
> to your questions.
Well, will you look at that. I completely missed that newsgroup. Thanks, Jude.
-alex
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In lugnet.storage, Alex Cruz writes:
> In lugnet.general, Jude Beaudin writes:
> > If you read through the .storage newsgroup, you will find a lot of answers
> > to your questions.
>
> Well, will you look at that. I completely missed that newsgroup. Thanks, Jude.
>
> -alex
Alex -
This post by (none other than our own) Remy Evard may interest you:
http://news.lugnet.com/storage/?n=707
As for how I sort, come over sometime and check out my system...
-Tim
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When I started organizing, I just used big cupbord pull-out trays. I
organized the Bricks first. I put all the red bricks in one tray, all the
red slopes in another tray, and all the red inverted slopes in a third tray,
as the trays were fairly small. I repeated this for all my colors, however,
sometimes I needed to have two trays of some parts, (such as gray bricks)
and combined other colors, (such as yellow and blue, I don't have much of
those.) I also put large bricks and plates in other trays. I pulled out
trays when needed to build on the floor or desk.
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=249194
The units cost $10 each at Home Depot.
I then took the smaller parts, such as 'greeblies,' cones, wedges,
cylinders, hinges, etc, and organized them by type, not color.
The larger sized groups, such as wedges and hinges, I put into the pull-out
trays. The smaller sized groups (like taps, turntables, flags, headlight
bricks, etc, I put into smaller fishing tackle boxes. The bigger ones went
for about $5, the little ones came 2 for $1.
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=249196
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=249200
I sometimes have to reorganize, as the parts spill over and fall out.
I'm still organizing some more more 'useless' color pieces and rarer parts,
but my advise would be to start with the parts you use the most, usually
bricks, then go on to common specialized pieces, then to rarer colors and
pieces.
Hope this helps!
-JHK
In lugnet.general, Alex Cruz writes:
> Being the New Year and all, I made but one resolution that I truly want to
> carry out: sorting my Lego collection. Scanning through Brickshelf, I've
> noticed a lot of pictures with an array of sorting bins, containers, boxes,
> etc. My question to the community is: What technique for sorting do you use?
> Please include links to pictures, explanations as to how you made your choice
> and just how far down does your sorting go (i.e. "Every brick has it's bin" or
> "All red bricks are in 1 container"). I figured I'd ask here first so as to get
> a good idea of WHERE to even start ;-)
>
> -alex
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In lugnet.general, John Henry Kruer writes:
> http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=249194
>
> The units cost $10 each at Home Depot.
Home Depot here I come ;-) Thanks for the info, John.
-alex
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Hey Alex,
So far I have my collection sorted this way:
Rarer colors have their own drawer for everything since I don't have a lot
of pieces yet. All my Castle and Pirate-specific pieces are grouped
together in several large drawers. My basic bricks and plates are three
colors to a drawer, with a few exceptions. 1xn plates, 2xn plates, and 2xn
bricks are grouped by white, blue, and gray, and red, yellow, and black.
These color combos stand out pretty well against each other and makes it
pretty easy to find pieces quickly. I've had to devote entire drawers to
1xn bricks in black and gray because I have so many!
If you want to see what this all looks like, I have a pic of my entire
collection here:
http://home.earthlink.net/~xenobuzz/
It's the second image.
Dave
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In lugnet.general, David Simmons writes:
> If you want to see what this all looks like, I have a pic of my entire
> collection here:
>
> http://home.earthlink.net/~xenobuzz/
>
> It's the second image.
>
> Dave
Nice, picture Dave ;-) Seriously, thanks for the info and the pics. One
question: what kind of containers are those?(manufacturer, model#, etc) Right
now I'm having a hell of a time finding what I want in a container. Any info
would help. Thanks.
-alex
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"Alex Cruz" <alexAT@uxbDOT.net> writes:
> In lugnet.general, David Simmons writes:
> > If you want to see what this all looks like, I have a pic of my entire
> > collection here:
> >
> > http://home.earthlink.net/~xenobuzz/
> >
> > It's the second image.
> >
> > Dave
>
> Nice, picture Dave ;-) Seriously, thanks for the info and the pics. One
> question: what kind of containers are those?(manufacturer, model#, etc) Right
> now I'm having a hell of a time finding what I want in a container. Any info
> would help. Thanks.
I'm not Dave, but I use the same containers (as does Tom Stangl).
They're made by a company called Iris, and you can get them at
Costco. (They were unavailable during the last few months, but are
once more available.)
The model I have is MCS-3232-S, and Dave's look to be the same. The
Costco item number is 360314.
For $20.99 you get 2 large drawers, 3 medium, and 2 small. The ratio
is 4:3:2 between the different drawer sizes, and you can mix and match
them as Dave and Tom have done. (I have not; mine are still in the
original configuration.)
--Bill.
--
William R Ward bill@wards.net http://www.wards.net/~bill/
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Consistency is not really a human trait.
--Maude (from the film "Harold & Maude")
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In lugnet.general, Alex Cruz writes:
> Being the New Year and all, I made but one resolution that I truly want to
> carry out: sorting my Lego collection. Scanning through Brickshelf, I've
> noticed a lot of pictures with an array of sorting bins, containers, boxes,
> etc. My question to the community is: What technique for sorting do you use?
> Please include links to pictures, explanations as to how you made your choice
> and just how far down does your sorting go (i.e. "Every brick has it's bin" or
> "All red bricks are in 1 container"). I figured I'd ask here first so as to
> get a good idea of WHERE to even start ;-)
My experience is it's all about how much Lego you've got. If you've got a
collection that's less than, say, 3,000 pieces, you probably don't really
even need to sort. In the end I think what it boils down to is how large of
a bin/box/drawer you feel comfortable sorting through. Then it's just a
matter of breaking down your collection into bins that size. If you've got a
small-ish collection (say, 3,000-10,000) you can probably just sort by
color. If you've got a ridiculously huge collection (500,000+), you're gonna
need to sort almost part for part, color for color.
Things to keep in mind:
- Sorting by color is cool and all (it's easiest to do probably), but some
colors like black are REALLY hard to search through when you're looking for
a particular piece. Color sorting only seems to work well in small sized
containers.
- Some colors may be better to be kept together, such as teal, light blue,
dark red, etc, because they're rare. So if you want to make something with
them, they'll be easier to find.
- When you need to break down parts by color (eg you have to sort your 2x4
bricks by color), but not enough to do 1 color per container, break them up
into dissimilar colors. Don't have (for example) a bin with white, tan, and
yellow. But a bin with black, yellow, and red would work much better.
- See-through drawers/containers are best. Using blue tubs and Lego boxes is
easy (cuz it costs a whole lot less!) but remembering what's where gets
tricky. Labels help, but even then, they might not point the right way, or
be unreadable at a distance or angle.
DaveE
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In lugnet.general, Alex Cruz writes:
> Being the New Year and all, I made but one resolution that I truly want to
> carry out: sorting my Lego collection. Scanning through Brickshelf, I've
> noticed a lot of pictures with an array of sorting bins, containers, boxes,
> etc. My question to the community is: What technique for sorting do you use?
> Please include links to pictures, explanations as to how you made your choice
> and just how far down does your sorting go (i.e. "Every brick has it's bin" or
> "All red bricks are in 1 container"). I figured I'd ask here first so as to get
> a good idea of WHERE to even start ;-
Nice resolution :)
Well, I have a medium small collection (around 4000 parts),
so I just decided to purchase several of the drawer
storage units, and divided my collection by parts type
instead of color.
Trust me, sorting by color will only result in scratched
parts, as the larger of them tend to be abrasive towards
smaller parts, and the ones in between won't look too
great after a few weeks of clawing through them when
you're building something.
In .storage, there's a link for the drawer storage
center, and I've included a link below (I'm not
sure if anyone has done so already, since I haven't
read this thread, obviously.)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00002N5J5/lugnet/102-4053220-3245742
They're a tad expensive, though. If you're strapped
on funds, small transparent fishing tackle bins
by Plano work excellently. (Check the link below
for a picture of my castle minifigure parts
collection.) These are very nice for uncommon
elements that would otherwise clutter your
storage compartments.
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=289568
Oh, and don't bother to use really large storage
bins for your parts. I tried that a few years ago,
and the result was a great mess. The only remedy
to this would to arrange similar parts in polybags,
then layer them in the bin. The only drawback is a
headache when you want to access something. (unless
they're all the same part of course.)
<<_Matt Hein_>>
Fellow lego enthusiast
O s p r e y
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In lugnet.general, Matt Hein writes:
> In .storage, there's a link for the drawer storage
> center, and I've included a link below (I'm not
> sure if anyone has done so already, since I haven't
> read this thread, obviously.)
>
> http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00002N5J5/lugnet/102-4053220-3245742
>
> They're a tad expensive, though. If you're strapped
> on funds, small transparent fishing tackle bins
> by Plano work excellently. (Check the link below
> for a picture of my castle minifigure parts
> collection.) These are very nice for uncommon
> elements that would otherwise clutter your
> storage compartments.
>
> http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=289568
Thanks for the links, Matt. I already have my minifigs in those Plano
containers (very handy) and the storage center is along the lines of what I am
looking for. Hopefully my local Home Depot will have some decent selections.
-alex
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Hi Alex,
The other suggestions in this thread may be better for you, but since you
asked us to share, I will tell you my methods for sorting... As usual, I
will share this in the form of a long babbling story. ;)
When I was six (1978) I owned a Fire Engine, a small Universal Set, and a
plastic tool box with compartments for small parts. One day, I took the
pieces from my Fire Engine and sorted them neatly into the bins. Then I
walked away for a short while. When I returned, I found that my older
brother had taken my well-organized Lego elements and used them (along with
most of my other pieces) to build a two story building that included an
eatery and an apartment. I was mortified! I was angry! I was a
six-year-old whose brother just ruined my great organization!
But somehow, my brother convinced me not to destroy the building. Over
time, we decided to add other buildings and make it a town. We collected
the Exxon Gas station, the Police HQ, etc. Eventually my brother lost
interest in the hobby and the town became mine. And so, through this ironic
twist, the building that I was angry about became the cornerstone of the
biggest and greatest hobby I could ever want. Now called Dawson's Diner,
the little building still stands (now surrounded by high rise office
towers). And elements of that old Fire Engine are still within its walls.
For the next two decades, I rarely thought of returning to my roots of
sorting. The kid in me grew to love the thrill of the hunt when looking for
a specific piece. I loved rustling through a box and hearing the familiar
sound of sifting ABS.
...Jump forward to 2002. Eventually my collection surpassed 50,000 pieces.
About half of that is in the Town/Train/Boat layout, where most models
remain built and are not assimilated into the "spare piece collection" from
which my MOCs are designed. Thus, elements from those themes are "sorted";
they are sorted by set or model. But except for the odd pirate ship and
Blacktron I model, most everything else is subject to dismantling in favor
of newer MOCs. Since I joined Lugnet over a year ago, I became increasingly
inclined to build MOCs only, and started to buying sets only for pieces with
no intention to build the TLC model. This combination of so many pieces and
the transition to me building more MOCs resulted in me having a need to sort
for the first time. As fun as it is to sift through a box looking for a
piece, it becomes a tedious chore when there are several TLC boxes of
varying sizes to look through. Heck, it can be a chore just to find the
right box!
But I am someone with other hobbies and limited funds. So I resolved to use
the best method I could devise: a free one. Where I work, we periodically
get shipments of new printer/photocopier paper for use in our office. The
paper reams get stacked in a cabinet, and the company disposes of the
emptied boxes. So I asked if I could grab the empties when I felt like it.
Over a few months, I ended up taking home twenty or so of the things and
then reinforcing their seams with packing tape.
I find these boxes to be very useful for many reasons:
They are...
..all the same size and stack nicely.
...easily stacked tightly to fill the space beneath my display tables when
storing sets that are not in use.
...large enough to allow easy packing of Lego models for transport
...made of recycled cardboard and can be marked with large labels or marker.
...free or cheap to replace.
...big enough to allow sifting through bricks with ease (if not completely
full).
...covers flip over to make great shallow sifting trays when working on
bigger projects –especially great for unsorted pieces or for element types
that I don’t sort completely in the first place.
So, with these boxes, I have sorted things to a point. I do not have the
space for enough boxes to sort completely by both color and style, so I have
sorted based on my own building habits as follows:
-All basic bricks and basic plates (not including 1x1 plates or plates
larger than 4X4) are sorted by color; each color gets its own box.
-Larger plates are in their own box, regardless of color.
-Wheels, tires, and chassis elements are in their own box, regardless of color.
-Doors, windows, and translucent elements get their own box, regardless of
color.
-Arches, fences, and railings get their own box, regardless of color.
-Castle walls, BURPS, and the like get their own box.
-Hinges and turntables get their own box.
-Base Plates and Road Plates are stacked neatly on a shelf, although 10”X10”
plates fit perfectly in these boxes.
-Sloped elements get their own box, regardless of color.
-1x1 plates and tiles of all colors are in a small TLC cardboard tray that
fits neatly in the other boxes.
-Connectors, clips, and small SNOT elements are in a similar tray to the 1x1s.
-Green and Brown are mixed in one box since I have so little.
-Dark Gray and Tan are mixed in one box since I have so little.
-Minifig parts, tools, and flags are in a box cover.
-Whole minifigs are in box covers, sorted by theme.
-Decorated elements are in their own box cover.
-Technic elements are in their own box cover (I don’t have much).
-Whole sets that are not on display are in boxes.
-Odd things I have few off and broken elements (I save everything) are in
their own box.
(Elements sorted in box covers rather than boxes are stored on shelving.)
I think that covers most everything.
There have been a few interesting side notes since I sorted everything. For
one, my build-time has been dramatically reduced for MOCs, since I only pull
aside the boxes that have elements relative to my current project and can
easily sift through them. Also, I have a much better grasp of how many of a
given piece I have. For example, if I am building with gray inverted 2x2
slopes, I can glance in the slope box and quickly gauge whether I can
complete the project with what I have.
For anyone building their own models and using a collection of around 10,000
pieces, I would say sorting is worthwhile. Regardless of the method you
choose, my best advice is this: Don’t wait until you have 20,000 spare
pieces (like I did). The sorting was itself a huge undertaking that took me
three months –and that was with my display tables cleared off to do it.
Also, once you have a system, be willing and ready to modify it as your
collection grows. And I recommend sorting new sets as soon as you open
them. That will allow you to move right into your next project with ease.
See? I said I would babble. ...But you did ask. :)
FUT .storage
-Hendo
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In lugnet.general, John P. Henderson writes:
> See? I said I would babble. ...But you did ask. :)
>
> FUT .storage
>
> -Hendo
Babble? John, you didn't babble...no, you just delivered an Odyssey to Lugnet
;-) Actually, thank you for the great advice and wonderful story. It's nice to
see that you "won" in the end against your brother :-)
-alex
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Oh, another sorting tidbit:
Be careful of over sorting. I have bins with 1xN bricks sorted by exact
size and color and bagged. These rarely get used during construction.
Instead, my overflow storage bins are what is usually used. My overflow
bins are:
1x1 bricks (black, white, red, blue, yellow)
1x2 bricks (red, blue, yellow)
1x2 bricks (grey)
1x4 bricks (red, blue, yellow)
1x4 bricks (grey)
1x2 and 1x4 bricks (white, black)
1x6 bricks (black, white, red, blue, yellow)
1x6 bricks (grey)
1x8 bricks (black, white, red, blue, yellow)
1x8 bricks (grey)
1x10 bricks (black, white, red, blue, yellow, grey)
1x12 bricks (black, white, red, blue, yellow, grey)
I have thought about sorting my white and black 1x2 and 1x4 bricks into
2 bins (1x2 and 1x4), but the time is just not worth it considering that
it's actually pretty easy to pick out what you need.
My quantity of 1x3 bricks is small enough that I pull out the correct
colored bags.
I have also recently invested in a bunch of small food storage bins
which get various commonly used parts for building. They stack easily
(open or closed) and are refilled when low. These techniques have
reduced the number of bags of parts I'm shuffling during building. I
also need to work some on what Iris drawers are right behind my work
area to make sure they are all commonly used parts.
Frank
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In lugnet.general, Alex Cruz writes:
> Being the New Year and all, I made but one resolution that I truly want to
> carry out: sorting my Lego collection. Scanning through Brickshelf, I've
> noticed a lot of pictures with an array of sorting bins, containers, boxes,
> etc. My question to the community is: What technique for sorting do you use?
> Please include links to pictures, explanations as to how you made your choice
> and just how far down does your sorting go (i.e. "Every brick has it's bin" or
> "All red bricks are in 1 container"). I figured I'd ask here first so as to get
> a good idea of WHERE to even start ;-)
>
> -alex
Another one of these threads is going to force me to finally do a full
photographic documentation of my sorting system, I think. At 250,000
pieces, my collection is fairly large, and is sorted very rigorously. I'd
say 99% of the pieces are sorted by type or by type AND color. The
containers vary from Bulk tubs to tupperware bins to tackle containers, with
lots of ziplock baggies abounding. The current basement project layout
shows the grand details, but doesn't get into the finer details of the
chaos. Once I'm done with my current reorganization/sorting scheme, I'll
probably document the whole mess.
http://www.brickfrenzy.com/misc_basement.html
Adrian
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In lugnet.general, Adrian Drake writes:
> Once I'm done with my current reorganization/sorting scheme, I'll
> probably document the whole mess.
>
> http://www.brickfrenzy.com/misc_basement.html
Lets hope the result isn't like the ISD project. I'm not sure that I could
handle that load again ;-) Adrian, that is one plush building area that you
have. I'm surprised your wife hasn't banned you to the garage. I can understand
why you were banished from the upstairs ;-) Thanks for the link and good luck
sorting.
-alex
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I think the majority of people agree that sorting pieces by type is much
better than by color. After a while though, you get so many colors of the same
type that you have to buy more containers and separate those same type pieces
by color too.
In general, I've found that wide shallow drawers do the best for sorting.
A shallow drawer lets you see more of what's there without digging too much.
It also has to be wide in order to hold all of what you have plus anything
that you'll accumulate before you die. (That may seem a little morbid to put
it that way, but whenever I buy containers for certain types of pieces, I ask
myself, "Self, will this hold all of that certain kind of piece that I have
plus whatever I'll buy for the rest of my life?")
Of course, there are so MANY types of pieces that you might want to get
many types of containers. Baseplates are wide and thin. Technic axle stoppers
are itsy bitsy. Sometimes your work/play area can make a difference too.
Me? I keep all mine in an Uncle Scrooge-type vault. (Anybody remember
Duck Tales?)
David
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In lugnet.general, David Gregory writes:
> Me? I keep all mine in an Uncle Scrooge-type vault. (Anybody remember
> Duck Tales?)
Do you have that with the diving board and do you spend your afternoon
swimming through all your bricks? :)
-H.
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I am currently in the process of re-sorting most of my collection. I have
been using a variety of storage systems. I have the containers for the bulk
bricks and various size tilt bins for the more smaller parts.
http://www.ngltc.org/sorting/Dsc00053.jpg
I know some people don't like the tilt bins, but I love them. They work
well, open easy and give me easy access.
http://www.ngltc.org/sorting/Dsc00054.jpg
http://www.ngltc.org/sorting/Dsc00055.jpg
http://www.ngltc.org/sorting/Dsc00056.jpg
As for how to sort, I've been first sorting out bricks, slopes and plates.
Then I've sub-sorted the elements from there into color and size. A lot of
my unsorted bricks are currently in 60 gallon tubs:
http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/thinice/sorting/dsc00014.jpg
I hope by the end of the winter to have all of it sorted....but of course my
6 year old son will unsort a great deal of it by then.
jt
In lugnet.general, Alex Cruz writes:
> Being the New Year and all, I made but one resolution that I truly want to
> carry out: sorting my Lego collection. Scanning through Brickshelf, I've
> noticed a lot of pictures with an array of sorting bins, containers, boxes,
> etc. My question to the community is: What technique for sorting do you use?
> Please include links to pictures, explanations as to how you made your choice
> and just how far down does your sorting go (i.e. "Every brick has it's bin" or
> "All red bricks are in 1 container"). I figured I'd ask here first so as to get
> a good idea of WHERE to even start ;-)
>
> -alex
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In lugnet.general, Alex Cruz writes:
> Being the New Year and all, I made but one resolution that I truly want to
> carry out: sorting my Lego collection. Scanning through Brickshelf, I've
> noticed a lot of pictures with an array of sorting bins, containers, boxes,
> etc. My question to the community is: What technique for sorting do you use?
> Please include links to pictures, explanations as to how you made your choice
> and just how far down does your sorting go (i.e. "Every brick has it's bin" or
> "All red bricks are in 1 container"). I figured I'd ask here first so as to get
> a good idea of WHERE to even start ;-)
Hi Alex,
Here's my little story of sorting... from early in my rebuilding of a
collection to now.
When I first began buying bricks again as an adult, sorting wasn't really
much of an issue. As soon as it became necessary, I really just started
using the standard LEGO buckets and tubs to separate things. Those being
the packaging that many of the bricks had come in anyway. 1 x 1's and 1 x
2's in their own buckets... 1 x X bricks in another.... 2 x X bricks in
another and so on. Not very sophisticated.
As I gathered more specialty parts I came up with a cheap but fairly
effective system.... I bought a number of clear plastic VHS tape cases.
They opened to allow access to the small number of bricks they held and you
could easily see what was inside each one. Better still, they stacked
nicely into a large LEGO tub... each tub holding about a dozen of them.
My Technic pieces have for quite a while been sorted into a number of Plano
tackle boxes... you know the ones. :)
My collection leveled out for a while, with this system functioning nicely.
But in the last year it's grown yet again and I needed better sorting and
just more space overall.
I came up with the idea to combine my building area with easy-access storage
for some of my most basic bricks. Here is the result:
http://www.apotome.com/lego/buildarea/wideshot.jpg (1)
The bins hold everything from basic 1 x 1 's and 2's in 10 different colors
on the top two shelves, 1 x 3's and 4's on the next level and finally 1 x
6's and 8's on the bottom row. This gives me a basic toolbox of parts at
arms length, already heavily sorted.
Most of the VHS tape cases are now given over to sorted specialty parts...
not many common bricks in them anymore. Lesser colors and configurations of
bricks are now in some plastic tubs (not unlike Tupperware, but from the
dollar store) that are about 2 inches deep, 6 inches across and 10 inches
long. These are nice low tubs that open fully as the lids come right off.
My workhouse storage module is quickly becoming the 'shoebox' type tubs I've
also found at the dollar store. These retangular tubs are about 6 inches
across, 4 inches deep and almost 13 inches long. At a buck a piece they
make for good cheap storage. Though slightly opaque, you can easily see
through to know what bricks are inside. As well, they stack nicely on the
shelving unit that I seem to have taken over. Who needs books when you've
got bricks, right? :) I'll try to post a pic of these tubs sometime. The
lesson to be learned though, is that your system doesn't need to cost a lot.
I have found most of all the tubs etc I need at the dollar stores in my
area. I guess it just comes down to thinking about what you need and
puttering around until you find it.
I hope your own system evolves to serve you in the best way to make building
easy and fun!
All the best,
Allan B.
(1) Here's a previous thread about building areas... but among the info
you'll also find pics and descriptions of some people's storage systems.
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In lugnet.general, Allan Bedford writes:
> (1) Here's a previous thread about building areas... but among the info
> you'll also find pics and descriptions of some people's storage systems.
D'oh!
Here's the link to the thread mentioned above. Sorry about that!
http://news.lugnet.com/build/?n=12793
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Wow. You all have some great sorting systems. The beauty of this project, as I
was telling Tim Courtney earlier today, is that I am in the process of gutting
my basement and rebuilding it. I wanted to get a general idea before I started
framing and dry walling as to what kind of area I want to create along with
what storage options there were. I want to thank everyone that has replied to
my question and yes, as soon as it's all done and the bricks are sorted, I'll
put up pics. Probably in a few months or so depending on how long it will take
me to actually finish the basement ;-)
-alex
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Hi there!
When I first came out of the black cave and picked up this amazing hobby once
more my collection was in the 10K size and I realized I needed sorting.
I bought a few boxes used to sort screw, nuts and bolts in garages, mounted
them on a plywood frame for easy "storing away" when I was not building. Along
with this I took a couple of tackle boxes I had. All did not fit so I looked
for cheap bins (my money goes to bricks, not sorting systems) and found two
great sources;
Empty 2 litre ice-cream tubs, these stack nicely _into_ each other so that 1/4
full tubs don't use 3/4 space just for air.
Here in Sweden we can buy candy by the pound choosing from long raws of
different candy boxes. I'm sure this is common in other countries too. The
thing is, this candy is shipped to the store in aprox 3-4 litre square boxes
with lids. Stores in Sweden often set these empty bins out in the entrance for
people to take home for free to store cookies etc. in. Perfect. I grabbed a
few, washed them out and I was set. Again, these stack nicely _into_ each other
so you wont need space for storing air.
Today my collection has grown about 450% to ~45K bricks and the system is still
with me, just more bins. I won't switch to another system either since this
works splendid for me.
As the bins got "full" containing different parts and not easy to rummage
through I've been splitting them up into two bins with perhaps one type of
part. If the small nuts & bolt bins get full with on pice sort I promote them
to a 2L ice-cream box. If an ice-cream box get full I switch it into a candy
bin.
I've also added eight tackle boxes for small bit's and pieces.
Anything that don't fit and I have "enough" of at hand I store it away in
zip-lock bags in the Overflow-bin.
Here's a couple of pictures:
http://www.lotek.nu/SweLUG/images/DCP_4998.jpg
http://www.lotek.nu/SweLUG/images/DCP_4999.jpg
Note, those were taken during a LEGO gathering I held and not how I actually
use them at home but they still show them. (I need to document this).
In the photos you see the original garage bins as red (large),green (medium)
and dark blue (small). The tackle boxes is red, ice-cream boxes light blue (or
white) and the candy bins see-through white.
I just stack up the bins with basic bricks in one stack, plates in another,
Technic bricks in a third ans so forth. I recently grabbed a few lids to put on
top of these stacks to keep the dust out. The ice-cream bins are used in the
same manner.
This sorting system has cost me:
Garage sorting trays/bins aprox $6 x 3 = 18
Tackle boxes $4 x 8 = 32
Ice-cream boxes $0 (I ate the ice-cream) x 15-20 = 0
Candy bins $0 x a lot = 0
Sum: $50
If your candy store don't have these visibly ask if you could have them, since
they through them away you should get them for free or perhaps 10 for a dollar.
To this date I've been sorting by part type but I'm on the verge of also
splitting by color. 1 x 16 Technic beams have been split into black and other
and I'm sure more part types will follow as my collection keeps growing.
Hope this makes sence and helps add more brick into the sorting system instead
of spending $$ on sorting systems...
A quick note to help you sort; When I take models apart I put all pieces into a
big box. As the box get's full or I feel like meditation (it's like that for
me) I start splitting the big box into plates, bricks, technic bricks (I build
in this genre), technic special parts and other. I then lay out all the plate
bins and sort the plates moving over to bricks...
I added labels on all four sides of the bins to help me fins parts when
building and keep the stacks in size order e.g. for plates 1 x 10 in the
bottom, followed by 1 x 8 and so forth.
I also keep a few empty candy boxes for misc. projects and the sorting process.
This also makes it easy splitting the collection up when I get the urge.
Best regards,
/Tobbe
http://www.lotek.nu
(remove SPAM when e-mailing)
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"Tobbe Arnesson" <StPnAtM@lotek.nu> writes:
> Empty 2 litre ice-cream tubs, these stack nicely _into_ each other
> so that 1/4 full tubs don't use 3/4 space just for air.
You're lucky to have ice cream available in plastic tubs. In the US,
ice cream comes in waxed cardboard or paper containers.
--Bill.
--
William R Ward bill@wards.net http://www.wards.net/~bill/
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Consistency is not really a human trait.
--Maude (from the film "Harold & Maude")
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In lugnet.general, William R. Ward writes:
> "Tobbe Arnesson" <StPnAtM@lotek.nu> writes:
> > Empty 2 litre ice-cream tubs, these stack nicely _into_ each other
> > so that 1/4 full tubs don't use 3/4 space just for air.
>
> You're lucky to have ice cream available in plastic tubs. In the US,
> ice cream comes in waxed cardboard or paper containers.
If you were to come to my home (in New York state) you would find we have
dozens of empty ice cream containers with lids. The sizes are 4 quart and 6
quart, are round, and will nest inside each other. But you will NOT find Lego
stored in any of them. They store other household items but are used primarily
in the vegetable garden. [1]
The best part about these ice cream containers is that they originally held ice
cream, of course, but also that they get delivered right to my home. For that
reason, we buy all of our ice cream from Schwans as we have done for at least
20 years or so. http://www.schwans.com/
__Kevin Salm__
[1] With the bottom cut out, they are excellent wind, sun, and pest protection
for seedlings and new transplants. In spring and summer my gardens are filled
with rows of these white buckets with plants growing up through them.
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In lugnet.general, Tobbe Arnesson writes:
> Here in Sweden we can buy candy by the pound choosing from long raws of
> different candy boxes. I'm sure this is common in other countries too. The
> thing is, this candy is shipped to the store in aprox 3-4 litre square boxes
> with lids. Stores in Sweden often set these empty bins out in the entrance for
> people to take home for free to store cookies etc. in. Perfect. I grabbed a
> few, washed them out and I was set. Again, these stack nicely _into_ each >other so you wont need space for storing air.
Thanks for that idea! Never thought of skipping the lids to avoid storing air.
/Tore
Where I live, we have to pay SEK 10 (~US$1.10) for three candy boxes :( but
they're worth it! :)
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In lugnet.general, Tore Eriksson writes:
> In lugnet.general, Tobbe Arnesson writes:
> > Here in Sweden we can buy candy by the pound choosing from long raws of
> > different candy boxes. I'm sure this is common in other countries too. The
> > thing is, this candy is shipped to the store in aprox 3-4 litre square boxes
> > with lids. Stores in Sweden often set these empty bins out in the entrance for
> > people to take home for free to store cookies etc. in. Perfect. I grabbed a
> > few, washed them out and I was set. Again, these stack nicely _into_ each
> > other so you wont need space for storing air.
>
> Thanks for that idea! Never thought of skipping the lids to avoid storing air.
You're most welcome.
> /Tore
>
> Where I live, we have to pay SEK 10 (~US$1.10) for three candy boxes :( but
> they're worth it! :)
If you ever get the chance of going to Ludvika I'll make sure to have a stack
of free boxes (and candy for that matter)!
Best regards,
/Tobbe
http://www.lotek.nu
(remove SPAM when e-mailing)
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In lugnet.general, Tobbe Arnesson writes:
> > > thing is, this candy is shipped to the store in aprox 3-4 litre square boxes
> > > with lids. Stores in Sweden often set these empty bins out in the entrance for
> > > people to take home for free to store cookies etc. in. Perfect. I grabbed a
> > > few, washed them out and I was set. Again, these stack nicely _into_ each
> > > other so you wont need space for storing air.
Tobbe, that system looks great. Lucky for you that the stores there still use
plastic as oppose to the wax covered cardboard that is used here in the states
:-( On a side note, is that wine you served at that Lego gathering? Because if
it is, then I have joined the wrong LUG ;-)
-alex
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In lugnet.storage, Alex Cruz writes:
> In lugnet.general, Tobbe Arnesson writes:
>
> > > > thing is, this candy is shipped to the store in aprox 3-4 litre square boxes
> > > > with lids. Stores in Sweden often set these empty bins out in the entrance for
> > > > people to take home for free to store cookies etc. in. Perfect. I grabbed a
> > > > few, washed them out and I was set. Again, these stack nicely _into_ each
> > > > other so you wont need space for storing air.
>
> Tobbe, that system looks great. Lucky for you that the stores there still use
> plastic as oppose to the wax covered cardboard that is used here in the states
> :-( On a side note, is that wine you served at that Lego gathering? Because if
> it is, then I have joined the wrong LUG ;-)
The boxes work out great!
I served no wine, but if that had helped the crowd comming I certainly would
have :) It was hosted at my office and we took what we could find, so despite
the type of glass used it's Cola...
But if you ever show up I'll make sure there's wine for you :)
/Tobbe
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In lugnet.storage, Tobbe Arnesson writes:
> In lugnet.storage, Alex Cruz writes:
> > In lugnet.general, Tobbe Arnesson writes:
> >
> > > > > thing is, this candy is shipped to the store in aprox 3-4 litre square boxes
> > > > > with lids. Stores in Sweden often set these empty bins out in the entrance for
> > > > > people to take home for free to store cookies etc. in. Perfect. I grabbed a
> > > > > few, washed them out and I was set. Again, these stack nicely _into_ each
> > > > > other so you wont need space for storing air.
> >
> > Tobbe, that system looks great. Lucky for you that the stores there still use
> > plastic as oppose to the wax covered cardboard that is used here in the states
> > :-( On a side note, is that wine you served at that Lego gathering? Because if
> > it is, then I have joined the wrong LUG ;-)
>
> The boxes work out great!
>
> I served no wine, but if that had helped the crowd comming I certainly would
> have :) It was hosted at my office and we took what we could find, so despite
> the type of glass used it's Cola...
>
> But if you ever show up I'll make sure there's wine for you :)
>
> /Tobbe
Those containers are very similar to the ice cream containers that I use for
my brick storage. I can't remember the name of the brand off the top of my
head, but the ice cream comes in these square containers that stack very
nicely together, and as Tobbe mentioned, if you leave the lids off, it works
even better (no stored air ;) )
So every time I go grocery shopping, I buy ice cream :)
I'll try and take a pic tonight.
Dave K
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Be sure to check out this article as well.
http://www.bricksinmypocket.org/tips/s_o1.html
While it is not an "all-purpose" sorting solution, the containers presented
are pretty cool.
Steven
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