Organizing loose Lego

traceymalone · May 27, 2014

I recently came across 4 garbage bagels and 3 totes of loose pieces. I am dreading the task of sorting organizing it all.

Any ideas? What's the best way to sort & ultimately organize?

Sent from my iPhone using Brickpicker

Alpinemaps · May 27, 2014

I've been sorting a lot of bulk sets lately, so here's my process:

1. Sort by some grouping of colors. Usually, I sorts black, tans, and grays into one bin, and white, colors, and transparents into another.

2. Sort those two bins into their individual colors. I sometimes keep like colors together (dark and light tans, or dark and light greens, all transparents, etc).

You have to just plow through it. But don't try to do the whole thing at a time. I usually only grab a pound or two at a time. Sorting can be exhausting work. And while I appreciate the engineering in taking (seemingly) random bricks and turning them into a creation, sorting bulk makes me itchy to build. So make sure you take breaks and do something else every few days, too.

gregpj · May 27, 2014

I recently came across 4 garbage bagels and 3 totes of loose pieces. I am dreading the task of sorting organizing it all.

Any ideas? What's the best way to sort & ultimately organize?

Sent from my iPhone using Brickpicker

Well, I suggest you start with throwing those garbage bagels in the trash! :sarcastic:

That's a tough one, but my first question is what do you intend on doing with it? Are you selling/keeping for parts or trying to complete sets?

- If you are selling or keeping parts, we personally like to organize first by color then by "like parts" into storage containers or baggies (we don't have enough containers yet). By like parts, we often go by types of parts categorized similarly to Bricklink because, well, that's where we buy parts from most often.

- If you know there are sets in there and are trying to complete them, first go through are try to find unique parts that may help you identify sets - parts with stickers or printing, weird or large parts, etc.

Ultimately, I think many people end up sorting by color first, then by part type regardless of what they are doing with a lot. If you don't have a table big enough to make little piles, get yourself some of those cheap disposable "tupperware" storage containers.

Maerskfan · May 27, 2014

I recently came across 4 garbage bagels and 3 totes of loose pieces. I am dreading the task of sorting organizing it all.
Any ideas? What's the best way to sort & ultimately organize?
Sent from my iPhone using Brickpicker

This is how I sort my lego:

I often use white, light grey, dark grey and black so I sort them more carefully. I have some divided boxes. I sort them by size and colour, occasionally letting 2 types of piece in the same slot to save space. The big plates (2x6 and 4x4 upwards) go into a box. The big blocks (2x8, 4x6 upwards) go in another big box. I have boxes for strange pieces, coloured plates, coloured blocks, republic red, tiles, 1x1 round studs, cheese slopes, technic connectors and other random pieces that I like to sort (mostly the small ones so I don't have to search for them). Investing in good sorting boxes is a good investment and saves time when building MOCs.

Stevenplays · May 27, 2014

See if you can organize them by set if you can see any large chunks of already built sets and sort out any unique pieces.

Then sort out by color, then by brick and plate, ect ect. Just categorize it into smaller and more complex categories. Also sort out printed and stickered pieces.

Finally, if you want to piece together any sets you can by using the said pieces, but before that list what sets you have found, and then take those apart and check what pieces are missing from those sets and then sort out the pieces for each set and see whats left.

Now this is quite a difficult process, finding the pieces for just one of my old sets was hard enough. Just do a little bit daily and you'll do great.

MartinP · May 27, 2014

My recommendation is that you sort all the pieces by color first. While you are sorting by color, pick out pieces that look rare/strange to you and pick out pieces that have stickers or are printed. These types of pieces will help you greatly when you try to identify which sets you have. Once you are finished sorting by color, sort further by splitting each color into two piles: larger pieces, and smaller pieces.

Huskers1236 · May 27, 2014

While I haven't done it, I like the idea of sorting everything by piece type. Technic, plates, bricks, modified bricks, wedges, you name it. It's much easier to find a specific piece and distinguish red vs. grey than to find a piece in a sea of black.

Edit: Problem with this is you have a hundred piles instead of a dozen or less.

Eltroy25 · May 27, 2014

I am with buskers on this one. My preference is by piece type, not color. It is impossible to find little bits in pieces in a sea of black pieces. Currently sorting out my personal collection this way to rebuild our sets. Yes it takes a while but the building process goes faster.

boxofcorey · May 27, 2014

Search the forums, I asked this same question awhile back and there was a ton of valuable info. I'll try and post it when I get a minute tonight.

NJHitmen · May 27, 2014

Well, I suggest you start with throwing those garbage bagels in the trash!

lol, I was going to make a similar smart-aleck comment...something like: I've heard of everything bagels and cinnamon raisin bagels, but I'd probably stay away from the garbage bagels.

But I have nothing legitimately useful to add. Kinda wrestling with the same issue myself (the sorting, not the garbage bagels).

Sent from my iPhone using Brickpicker