Storage solutions: fakespacesquid
Posted by Huw,
Charlie, aka fakespacesquid, explains how he sorts and stores his loose pieces and also provides some handy hints and tips to help you get started on your own collection:
This is something that I’m super excited to participate in as I’ve just recently got a good handle on my collection!
I use a hodge-podge of 12 different storage solutions, and I’m constantly shifting things between containers based on volume. Along with the standard Pick-A-Brick cups, Ziplocs of various sizes, and plastic shoeboxes, I also use two different sizes of locking hardware/tackle drawers, the new Dots bins, rolling craft organisers, multi-drawer organisers, two different sizes of collapsible cube storage bins, and a fair amount of dollar store plastic cubes. All of these work in coordination with a couple of large Ikea-esque cube storage shelves and a few larger basic shelf units.
I have what I would consider a large collection, so I’m able to go pretty in-depth with my sorting and organising. I start my sorts with sieves of various sizes, which nets me 6 different levels of pieces. The biggest group gets no further attention, but the other 5 get anywhere from 5/7 rounds of sorting and pulling to gradually bring out the elements that I use frequently or have a lot of. Included are photos of the part ‘lists’ that I pull, each one tailored to the elements that will come up in that group.
I find using the sieves to be extremely helpful, as it removes all the crazy big parts and all the crazy small parts and puts everything (almost perfectly) into more reasonable size groups, and will often bring all of one piece together.
Nearly every 1x2 brick will come to rest in group 3, for example, so it’s very easy to pull those instead of having to dig through an entire bin. As you can see, two of mine are brick-built, and it’s very easy to build more of these with various hole sizes to accommodate your goals. The other levels are comprised of the Lego sorting head (which I highly recommend) and two grates that I’ve found from various places.
My storage is organised by type, size, element, and then colour. As a Type starts to get too big for its container, I start to sort it by size, and so on. Things like basic bricks and plates take up multiple storage units, while things like Mixel joints and click hinges are compartmentalized in a single drawer.
I’ve also recently become a very big fan of overflow storage. Take the 1x4 plates, which have a reasonable amount in their respective drawer but which also take up colour and greyscale Ziplocs filled with any that don’t fit in the drawer. Overflow is a great way to have a decent amount of all the available colours handy, while also keeping the larger amounts reasonably sorted.
In terms of display, I don’t have much out. The impeccable Scooby-Doo sets, a collection of the top Brickheadz, some nostalgic Ninjago, the U.S. Capitol, and some gaming-related builds above the Xbox make up pretty much the entirety of my models on display. This is mainly due to limited space, but now that I’ve freed up some space I might be changing that soon.
As I'm sure some of you can relate, my Lego room is also my only room. I’m currently living at home while I finish school, so I don’t have to deal with a partner just yet. I haven’t had to alter my space to accommodate my collection too much, most of it has consisted of just utilising it better.
Instead of a poster, I could easily hang an organiser on the wall. Above my bed used to be one display piece, now the 8-compartment shelf has opened a lot more possibilities for both storage and display. The main things I would suggest for managing your collection well are to do your research into storage before you buy (the dollar store has excellent options, you don’t always need to drop $100!), and to plan it out! PLAN IT OUT!!
If you just dive in without clear goals, you’re likely just going to get disheartened and not make it through. I went through easily three or four different failed attempts at sorting and this is the one that finally stuck because I had clear processes and expectations (and much more time at home during teleworking didn’t hurt either).
Like many of us during the quarantine, I’ve been working from home. It’s all been something of a blur, but I’ve definitely gone from around 25% sorted to 75%. I began by sieving nearly all of my unsorted collection, with just a few small hold-outs currently. I’ve then been going through group by group, pulling out their lists into PAB cups.
When I’m done with a group, I’ll usually end up with a cup of tiles, a cup of bricks, a cup of clips/handles, etc. One by one, I go through the cups and get them to their eventual destination. Some cups I’ve left roughly unsorted, since it doesn’t hurt to have a cup of the same size Technic elements all grouped together, and I’ll have time later on to go in-depth. A decent amount of time has also gone into reorganizing my previous storage, and sourcing my newer additions. It’s ongoing, of course, as it always will be!
A few final thoughts to leave you with. I know that getting your collection sorted can be intimidating, but I guarantee that it’s worth it. It makes it much easier to build, which of course is the goal! Even just a basic sort, pulling out the bricks and minifig parts, will enable you and any other builders in your house to have a better time and make better creations. My top tips:
- Make reasonable goals. As I said, planning is key. Setting out to give each different Element ID its own drawer will not work, so start simple.
- Take reasonable steps. Being able to spend an hour sorting isn’t something that everyone can fit into every day. But if you set aside 10/15/20 minutes per day to work through it, you’ll make steady progress as time goes on and you’ll have that feeling of accomplishment that will help carry you through the process.
- Sort for your builds. If all you do is mosaics, then you probably don’t need to get super detailed with your slope storage. If you do GBC (like I do) then pull Technic first and get that organised before moving on to other things. My system is great for me, but it might not work for you, because we’ve got different needs in mind.
- Involve other people! Your kids or spouse or partner don’t have to just be obstacles. My little brother helped me with portions of my sorts, he has a great time since he gets to help me with Lego stuff, and you get the added bonus that only another set of eyes can give. Sure, you can recall every piece and colour from memory. But being able to communicate that is a great skill that they can help you hone. And maybe you’ve got Lego friends nearby, you could spend some time helping them, and they could then help you out in return! Everybody wins.
- Start basic. A few sizes of Ziploc bags and a few plastic shoeboxes can work wonders for your storage, without having to go into the super-detailed drawer organisers. Find what works for you!
Thank you for getting this far! I know I put a whole lot (probably too much) in but this is something I’ve become very involved in over the last few weeks and I’ve got to share it with my fellow Brickset readers! I didn’t know if I was able to include names/links but if people want to get in touch about the specific bins/organisers I use I’d be glad to connect!
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9 comments on this article
@huw and @fakespacesquid these are very interesting, keep them up. I think it may make some people a little jealous or envious but for me I think it justifies my "mess" I am jealous obviously but it shows that there are people "worse than me :-)" in terms of space taken up, time spent etc. One thing I do wonder about some of these, and I know the emphasis is on storage is that some people seem to have 10000's of pieces but no display, or MoC's or otherwise. For me I have one of the storage boxes (with Trays) in general use and then a large 2 x 4 brick box with all sorts I never use. 80% of my collection is in the loft and as much as possible is crammed on display on "any shelf or top of cabinet" I can find. I dont track my spare parts but its probably about 2% if that of my total.
The Brick Bible, lol!
Ah, this is a more relatable entry, with some good tips!
Little 'n' often is a helpful suggestion indeed, as is to start basic with whatever containers you can get your hands on. Those dollar\pound store\shop multipacks of plastic takeaway-style containers are the absolute business; they're actually quite rubbish at keeping food from leaking out but perfect for LEGO storage & building.
In fact, I would be inclined to start with a super-budget option like that in order to get a gauge on how much 'proper' storage you'll need. That'll help when you get onto the vital planning stage.
Thanks for the inspiration, fakespacesquid! And for giving Alien Conquest some love in your limited space.
Very much enjoying seeing how others sort and store their collections. I'd also be interested in knowing how people handle their collections during the MOC building process. When I'm trying to build something, I need to pull out various trays and containers which quickly overtake my small "study"...
Great article.
One of the tips that i also use is simple but very effective.
I started with a shoe box for plates. When it was full i divided it in 2 shoe boxes: One for 1 or 2 stud width, the other for the rest. Later when the big plate box got full again I created a third box for just 4 stud wide. I now also have a fourth for just 2 stud wide. You can apply this to bricks, tiles etc as your collection grows
@melvlee said:
"Very much enjoying seeing how others sort and store their collections. I'd also be interested in knowing how people handle their collections during the MOC building process. When I'm trying to build something, I need to pull out various trays and containers which quickly overtake my small "study"..."
I gather the parts I may need in advance and store them together until I’m ready to start. At the end of the build, when the MOC is complete, I keep most of the spares together that are distinctive for that MOC, e.g. from a particular colour palette. So, for example, I have the red and yellow spares from my East-West Fire Dragon all together ( https://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?/forums/topic/177214-moc-east-west-fire-dragon/ ). The more generic parts get sorted back to where they came from.
These are fun to read. :) thank you for sharing a one room version. I've got everything in my laundry room and need to look into shelves soon, so I'm feeling inspired!
Thank you for sharing. The sieve use is perfect. I never thought of constructing a sieve out of LEGO parts. I'm gonna try using a sieve again for sure.
I'm enjoying this series as I've been sorting through my brick log of sorting I've left to accomplish. One of my curiosity's is in storage solutions folks have for their old instruction booklets. To those of you submitting your solutions, consider adding in that bit!