Pre-sorting vs One big pile

[Grolim]

With today's newer sets this isn't really an issue as they come in nice numbered bags that you open a step at a time.  But when you get a large used set or heaven forbid you open a vintage set (      ) how do you go about the build process?

 

Do you pre-sort following some routine or do you dump it in a pile and find each piece type as needed?  Which way is faster?  Do you do it your way for speed, or perhaps a more enjoyable build experience?

[TheDarkness]

I love picking through the mix of colours. Something about separating the bricks seems too "sanitised".
When I am getting frustrated then I start sorting them, but with smaller, numbered bags it makes things a lot easier.

[akohns]

With today's newer sets this isn't really an issue as they come in nice numbered bags that you open a step at a time.  But when you get a large used set or heaven forbid you open a vintage set (      ) how do you go about the build process?

 

Do you pre-sort following some routine or do you dump it in a pile and find each piece type as needed?  Which way is faster?  Do you do it your way for speed, or perhaps a more enjoyable build experience?

dump all the bags in to a container and then pick out all the larger pieces. Kickin' it old school!

[Diabolos80]

I'm totally ocd when sorting pieces. Bigger sets, like 1000+, I use up to 12 small tupperware containers. I sort by piece type, then subdivide by size. So plates, split into 1x2, 2x2, 2x#, 1x#, then the same with bricks, then the same with tiles. Technic pins and connectors in one, Technic beams in one, 1x1 bricks and plates in one. Then I have a nice cushioned ipad box bottom for windows, specialty pieces, large plates and tiles, and stickers.

For me, sorting is part of the ritual of buliding. I wouldn't do it any other way.

[TheOrcKing]

If we are talking about opening up a brand spanking new set, all I do is open the box, cut or tear all the bags, and dump everything into one big pile. For me, that is part of the fun in building! For older ones I already built then took apart and later on decide to build again, I will go through my sorted drawers and get pieces out one at a time as needed following the instructions.

[Grolim]

If we are talking about opening up a brand spanking new set, all I do is open the box, cut or tear all the bags, and dump everything into one big pile. For me, that is part of the fun in building! For older ones I already built then took apart and later on decide to build again, I will go through my sorted drawers and get pieces out one at a time as needed following the instructions.

 

So you go against the grain and dump out all the numbered bags in the newer sets as well?  That would make things take a bit longer, guess you love piece hunting? 

 

I've been building quite a few used sets recently and I just don't seem to have the patience to start by sorting the pile completely.  I tend to just take out all the large bits and but them all into stacks e.g. all 4x8 plates together, so that makes the pile a bit smaller and easier to find the little elements.  Then I just go from there.

[akohns]

I've been building quite a few used sets recently and I just don't seem to have the patience to start by sorting the pile completely.  I tend to just take out all the large bits and but them all into stacks e.***. all 4x8 plates together, so that makes the pile a bit smaller and easier to find the little elements.  Then I just go from there.

Same here

[Huskers1236]

When I was a kid, I dumped everything in one pile.

 

Now, I start with Bag 1, sort by color.  And so on and so forth, bag by bag.  Half the time I can't find what I'm looking for by doing this, so dumping in a giant pile would take me forever.  Not that I don't like having a long build, but the sorting is some of the fun for me.

[joelfinch]

I open the bags into one or two cutlery trays from IKEA, matching the size of the pieces roughly to the size of the compartments. It keeps all the pieces from the same bag together, while giving access to all the pieces at once. Because the compartments have smooth rounded corners, it's easy to scoop even the small pieces out, and one big advantage is that if I get interrupted while building, I can put the trays away easily, without pieces escaping.

 

http://www.ikea.com/au/en/catalog/products/30177224/

http://www.ikea.com/au/en/catalog/products/80177226/

[JoshTX]

For new sets I open the bags one at a time and build minifigures first, then I tend to sort larger pieces back and smaller pieces into a pile.

[Darth Lego]

I really don't pay much attention to where the bricks are put. I just tear open the bags and dump them into one big pile. For bigger sets I try to keep the bricks in piles by their bag number, but I don't separate them more than that. Old school! ;)

[TheOrcKing]

So you go against the grain and dump out all the numbered bags in the newer sets as well?  That would make things take a bit longer, guess you love piece hunting? 

Like I said, it's all part of the fun in building! Now I have tried organizing on a couple medium sized sets and the process of sorting the pieces out to then build afterwards seemed to take longer than just flat out building the thing to start with. To help clarify while I do pour out everything from all the bags, I spread out those pieces across my workspace so I can see them all plus be within arms length and I also keep an area right in front of me as the designated 'build' spot.

For new sets I open the bags one at a time and build minifigures first, then I tend to sort larger pieces back and smaller pieces into a pile.

I do that too minus the sorting part. Open each bag one at a time, build all the characters, and then the model itself.

[Etan]

One big amazing Lego pile.

[MartinP]

All I do is just leave them in a big pile and start building. There is one downfall to this. One time I bought a new Lego set from the store and I started building it. About three quarters of the way through i noticed i was missing a decent amount of pieces. I did not know how many to get from the customer service at Lego.com. That is the one down fall of not sorting before the build. You simply do not know if you are missing pieces or not.

[TheOrcKing]

All I do is just leave them in a big pile and start building. There is one downfall to this. One time I bought a new Lego set from the store and I started building it. About three quarters of the way through i noticed i was missing a decent amount of pieces. I did not know how many to get from the customer service at Lego.com. That is the one down fall of not sorting before the build. You simply do not know if you are missing pieces or not.

Okay I will admit, that is very true. I ended up needing to take the build already started back apart so that I could organize and count all the pieces I had ....and this was Darth Maul's Sith Infiltrator. :wacko:

[kerrmando]

Dump all the bags for sure... Just more fun from that! 

[TheOrcKing]

Dump all the bags for sure... Just more fun from that!

Besides, who could resist any opportunity to make that loud, shuffling, brick noise?! That's music to my ears.... :music:

[Noodlenut]

What I usually do is find the small and hard to find pieces and base the size of the creation on how many of those pieces I find.  The rest of the bricks I just leave in a big pile, but would like to sort it soon.

[Bumblepants]

I never sort by color, I can't tell one brick from the other if it is one big pile of bley for example. I do try and keep the bags poured out into separate piles since usually all of the parts of a kind are in the same bag.

[comicblast]

Just open all the bags and mix and build. Actually, after I assemble all the minifigures, then I put the rest of the pieces in a pile and build.

[DoNotInsertIntoMouth]

I dump it out right on the carpet.

 

Every piece I can't find I yell at my dog thinking she ate it. I then find it.

 

I don't apologize.

[hollingsworthless]

As I build, I open bags that contain the pieces I need until all the bags are open. I pour the bags out in their own little piles. Often, a single type of piece will be only in a couple different bags so this makes it easy to find pieces if they appear later in the build.

[Scissorino]

I don't organise... and sometimes, against all of Lego's advice, I build on the floor on the carpet and not on the table 

[wholovesboo]

When I'm working on Part "1" I'll open all the "1" bags and lay them on the table, leaving all the pieces inside (I have a very nosy cat who likes to swat small objects around, so I can't just dump all the pieces out). Then when I need a piece I'll go fishing through all the bags for it. It's annoyingly inefficient, the bags start to tear after a while, and that crackling sound the cellophane makes is obscenely loud at 2:00 in the morning, which is when I can build in peace. I should probably invest in some kind of sorting containers...any suggestions?

[TheOrcKing]

Now after years of inactivity to finally building once again, I must confess that I no longer dump all the pieces from a new set into a single large pile when planning to build. I just can't do it. When I was a kid that was the most fun having all those pieces spread out across the living room table finding the bits I needed in the moment as I went along but doing such a thing nowadays only succeeds in making the whole thing drag on longer than I may have time for.

What I do anymore is use some of the sorting drawers I have been collecting lately as bins to dump out each of the bags contents into. I even take the inner bags and pour that out into a different drawer to help stay organized. This way helps me stay organized and focused on specific sections by having only the #1 bags contents for example right in front of me as well as minimize the possibility of losing parts altogether. I can also find certain bits fairly quick because I know what types and colors are in what drawer generally.

Since I have gotten back to building a number of sets, I find myself becoming almost as fast as I used to which could be due to feeling the rhythm of it all again plus using the drawers as temporary building bins. Anyway, you have no idea how good it feels getting back to building again and on a more regular basis at that. For those who continue to build from one big pile of bricks, I salute you.