General storage questions

[porkchop]

For boxes I would go to the lego store and ask if they have any of the original shipping boxes. They have no problem giving them out. Or I would just use any old cardboard box, they all work just the same lol

[MartinP]

For boxes I would go to the lego store and ask if they have any of the original shipping boxes. They have no problem giving them out. Or I would just use any old cardboard box, they all work just the same lol

The shipping boxes sound like a good idea, but I stick to any cardboard box that I can find.

[Huskers1236]

I'm going to pose this question here instead of posting a new thread.  To those that have the Home Depot HDX shelves, are they tall enough in between the shelves for the big sets, ala Helm's Deep?  I read a review somewhere that said the space was a hair under 15", which to me is cutting it awfully close with those sets.  I bought a nice shelf at Menard's a while back, but it is double the price I paid now, but it does have like 17" of space in between the shelves, which is nice.

[Mos_Eisley]

I'm going to pose this question here instead of posting a new thread. To those that have the Home Depot HDX shelves, are they tall enough in between the shelves for the big sets, ala Helm's Deep? I read a review somewhere that said the space was a hair under 15", which to me is cutting it awfully close with those sets. I bought a nice shelf at Menard's a while back, but it is double the price I paid now, but it does have like 17" of space in between the shelves, which is nice.

Yes, the large sets like Helm's Deep just barely fit on those HDX shelves. Some may think it's too tight, but they fit and it keeps from wasting space.

[Guest brickcrazyhouse]

If you have a local Lego store, sometimes they will let you have a few boxes from time to time......all you have to do is ask them.

then wait for your "banned" letter

[Huskers1236]

Yes, the large sets like Helm's Deep just barely fit on those HDX shelves. Some may think it's too tight, but they fit and it keeps from wasting space.

Thanks ME.

[brickelements]

Any opinions on using these for setting up a new storage room.

 

http://www.samsclub.com/sams/resin-shelf-24-deep-36-wide/prod8800234.ip?navAction=

 

Best practices?  Better options.  I have about 750 sets to store ranging in size from SSD to Castle Ambush/Holiday freebie sets.

 

Thanks

 

Scott

[Huskers1236]

If you can, I would measure in between the shelves to see if the larger sets can fit if they are a large portion of your portfolio.  It takes around 15" if I remember right.  Otherwise, I don't see any reason they woudn't work.  I like that they are 24" deep.  Makes sure there isn't a decent portion of box hanging off the edge and having the ability to sag.

[brickelements]

Thanks for the input...I will be hitting Sams this weekend to get a first hand look and feel of those shelving units to see if they will suffice.

It looked like the Home Depot HDX shelve are to short...most photos of collections here show sets on their sides when using those units.

 

Last fall when Menards had a sale on similar shelves I bought those.  I had to create little spacers to open up the shelves to hold the largest sets.

I have created my own build-ins using 1/2 sanded birch plywood.  I don't shift boxes around much so I haven't much much of an issue with shelf wear.

 

We are trying to move this spring so I get to start fresh once that happens.

 

I would like to split my Lego into two rooms, one (NIB storage and loose investment sets), the other my build room/area.

 

My build area is my Zen.  When stress gets the better of me...i go build something.

 

I am workign on 3 variations of 6286 Schooners, a new pirate version, a new soldier, and one for the imperials as well.

nearly complete on all three.

[Huskers1236]

Here's the units that I buy from Menards.  They have 17" plus in between shelves and don't sag too much in the middle.  24" deep as well to keep boxes on surface and not hanging off the front or back.  I wait for them to go on sale to purchase, I don't spend $55 on them.

 

http://www.menards.com/main/shelving-visualizer/garage-basement/4-shelf-ventilated-interlocking-with-long-poles/p-1475962-c-13051.htm

[brickelements]

http://www.samsclub.com/sams/48-shelving-unit-storage-supplies/prod9140029.ip?origin=item_page.rr1&campaign=rr&sn=ClickCP&campaign_data=prod8800234

 

here is another option I found with very close costs per cubic foot of space. ~$.935/cu ft.

I like the idea they are adjustable, and longer so I use fewer total shelves.

When moving to my new space I think this coul dbe the best balance of cost/ cu ft and adjustable storage area.

Unless I find a good sale somewhere.

 

So the link above yields 24 x 48 x 94" of space = 108288 cu in or 62.66 cu ft.

I added 22" of space to the vertical measurement because I typically stack sets on the top shelf.

 

The same calculation for the smaller plastic resin shelf from Sam's Club yielded a cost of ~.90/cu ft.

 

L x W X **** = sq in, 1 cu ft = 1728 sq in

 

Calculations are after taxes.

 

So for .03 more per cuft I get heavy duty adjustable shelves.

[Lawpepperdine]

http://www.samsclub.com/sams/48-shelving-unit-storage-supplies/prod9140029.ip?origin=item_page.rr1&campaign=rr&sn=ClickCP&campaign_data=prod8800234

 

here is another option I found with very close costs per cubic foot of space. ~$.935/cu ft.

I like the idea they are adjustable, and longer so I use fewer total shelves.

When moving to my new space I think this coul dbe the best balance of cost/ cu ft and adjustable storage area.

Unless I find a good sale somewhere.

 

So the link above yields 24 x 48 x 94" of space = 108288 cu in or 62.66 cu ft.

I added 22" of space to the vertical measurement because I typically stack sets on the top shelf.

 

The same calculation for the smaller plastic resin shelf from Sam's Club yielded a cost of ~.90/cu ft.

 

L x W X **** = sq in, 1 cu ft = 1728 sq in

 

Calculations are after taxes.

 

So for .03 more per cuft I get heavy duty adjustable shelves.

These are heavy duty, I have 5 of them.  4 for garage junk storage, and 1 for Lego.  Some additional benefits not mentioned are that the panels are flat (as opposed to grated plastic).  I find that this helps ensure no creases on the Lego boxes.  They also have a slight lip on each shelf level so you can tuck the sets in nicely.  

 

But again this is heavy duty, I helped the UPS guy bring these in as he was really struggling moving them solely.  Also, understand that they holed beams are actually two pieces resting on top of each other get maximum height, so you are limited in that you have to put one shelf right in the middle (so metal rods sit one on top of first hole beam and one on bottom of second hole beam).  It was a surprise to me at first, but actually really easy to get together.

 

With all that said, this is definitely a strong option though given the versatility and heavy duty aspect.

[Crue]

I've read an article in here about acid free paper being used as well. Any comments from collectors that have stored items long term whether that is needed?

[Guest MaartenBegins]

So I asked about the difference between the basement and the attic to stack Sealed boxes. But I have a question about stacking the boxes: vertical or horizontal and how many boxes are stacked upon each other? Thanks!

[biniou]

Vertically, on dedicated shelves:

 

 

You can put a sheet on it to avoid dust and a little sunfade

[fondkick]

Vertically, on dedicated shelves:

 

 

You can put a sheet on it to avoid dust and a little sunfade

 

Beautiful Shelves !!! i love you watch lego. 

 

Do you need some more ? lolol

[Bernard74]

The way Biniou did it is the best way, especially with big (heavy) sets.

With smaller sets, stacking them on top of each other shouldn't be that much of a problem as long as you keep the weight that is pushing on the bottom sets limited. Especially with the architecture sets that have pretty strong boxes.

Verzonden vanaf mijn iPhone met behulp van Brickpicker

[Rob11Z]

I ordered boxes from Uline.com for my big sets. I went with 24x18x4, it will fit sets like the Dino HQ, Black Pearl, Millenium Falcon pretty well. If you take the time to put filler material in there initially, they're ready to ship once the time comes.

 

If anyone is interested the product # is S-4827.

 

I believe I paid about $40 for 20-25 boxes, which seems like a lot, but it only adds $2.00 per set and saves me the hassle of finding somehting that might work. With the profits you should be making on these larger sets $2.00 shouldn't break the bank.

I've been buying bulk shipping boxes, tape, hot glue and some other items from Uline.com for years.  If you are willing to buy in large quantities, their prices blow away those of Staples and similar.  We probably spend about $500 a year from Uline and we re-coupe all of that with S&**** fees.

 

Someone also asked about what type of shelving to use.  We've been using Gorilla brand racks for well over a decade. They are extremely strong, keep everything about 4 inches off the ground and they will probably be around long after we are gone.  They ARE pricey, but you get what you pay for.  We buy the racks that are 18" deep by 48" long and usually the 72" (6 feet) high.  I find that the cheaper plastic racks tend to sag over time, which obviously is bad. 

 

-Rob

Edited January 11, 2015 by Rob11Z

[Rob11Z]

Here are a couple pictures of our current storage situation.  We built a good sized home a number of years ago and it has a decent size walk up third floor.  The third floor has about 800 sq/ft which is fully climate controlled.  We use this for more of our storage and store some of the long term / overflow in the basement off the floor.  All of the shelves in the pictures are Gorilla racks, except for one picture which has one plastic shelf on the far right.

Edited January 11, 2015 by Rob11Z

[BrickBeard]

I have just relocated to the Seattle area, and have some concerns with long term LEGO box storage.  The humidity up here is concerning me with my boxes of sets I possess. Is there anything I should be doing to proctect the quality of my sets?  Any advice woul dbe greatly appreciated.

[Brickson]

Is stacking boxes flat on top of each other a bad idea? It seems like the most space effective way, but I wonder if I'm just asking for one of them to buckle. Has anybody done this before?

[exciter1]

Is stacking boxes flat on top of each other a bad idea? It seems like the most space effective way, but I wonder if I'm just asking for one of them to buckle. Has anybody done this before?

Acknowledge that you've seen this thread and I'll merge this new one. Thanks...

 

 

[Migration]

Shirley you can't be serious?

I'm amazed that Pet Shop lasted long enough to take the picture.

Edited June 28, 2015 by Migration

[Sandwraith]

I can hear those bottom boxes crying!

[exciter1]

"It's a big building with patients, but that's not important right now."