Storage solutions: Deathmoth
Posted by Huw,
Gabriel, aka Deathmoth, provides a detailed perspective on sorting that has not been represented yet:
I’ve been building since I was very little (I’m in my thirties now), but only in recent years have I had some dedicated time + space for display and organising LEGO. My housemates and I are all freelance artists working from a shared home/studio. This particular area of the house’s lower level is multi-use but has gradually morphed from being less and less an office to more and more a LEGO room, particularly during quarantine. Nonetheless, it is a shared space, and our lifestyle in general is one in which I (by choice) never feel 100% settled at any given time.
It’s for this and other reasons I’ve included mobility as a critical factor in my storage scheme; the entire collection, if needed, can be consolidated and moved into a closet or to some other location entirely with relative ease. Likewise, the bins can be rearranged according to the need and scope of the current build. In this way, both the space and the storage system are entirely modular, mirroring the form and philosophy of the brick itself.
In addition to mobility and modularity, these are the other design principals utilised:
1. Embrace the Chaos
I’ve sought to find a balance between order and chaos within the system. I very intentionally do not want too much order — as in having a separate compartment for every single part/colour/size/modification/etc. possible. I find the act of digging through unsorted bins in search of a certain element to be both therapeutic and meditative. For me, these are essential aspects of the LEGO experience. Additionally, I’d simply rather redirect the energy otherwise required to maintain more extreme systems of order into building instead.
For this reason, the system I’ll describe may not be of use to you if you seek to create one that places a high priority on achieving and maintaining the perfect sort and catalogue of parts. My hope is that what I’ve learned may be of help to others with collections and philosophies of building similar to my own: Collections which are notable but of a relatively modest size; they are also ever expanding (typically by not more than 1-5 sets in a normal month), so the system needs to also be adaptable; and last but not least, the work of sorting (while being a pleasure of its own kind) should never outpace the work of building, or be necessarily maintained at the latter’s expense.
2. Scalability of Order
Scope of ordering must be scaleable in tandem with the quantity of a given part type within the collection. (More on that in a sec...)
3. Sorting by Colour Wheel
Rather than a strict adherence to colour or part type, I sort elements primarily by colour scheme — beginning with those found close to each other on a colour wheel, in addition to monochromatic tones.
“Greyscale”, for example, includes white, light grey, light bluish grey, dark grey, dark bluish grey, and black. There are a number of reasons for this choice. Practically speaking, it simply means less to sort, fewer bins to buy and keep organised. Colours within a given scheme are often used together in a build, so it’s handy to have them consolidated. By this, you can easily have a full palette close at hand (with a range of tonal variety) while also taking out only those which are necessary for the current project.
This method does require certain decisions as to which colours to combine into a decided scheme, which is entirely subjective. I include purples with reds, for example, rather than with blues. Sometimes this is simply because I like how those colours look together in the stacked bins (and likely corresponding with my preferred usage combos in MOCs). Other times, it’s more practical; I include turquoise with blue rather than green, for instance, because green is more likely to be used for nature-based designs; I thereby keep green-tones to those most often found in natural flora.
Importantly, having some visual differentiation in colour (as opposed to only shape) within the bins makes finding parts easier. This is particularly relevant to greyscale. Years ago, when I initially sorted my collection from the several large bins of mixed colours/shapes/minifigs/etc., I organised strictly by colour rather than colour scheme. Finding a certain part in a full bin of all black, for one thing, was at least as challenging as it was to find when mixed with everything else. Sorting by scheme is a beautiful middle ground — a level of chaos sustained, yet also offering a degree of easily searchable, maintainable, ordering.
And so the result has been a system which is somewhat unique, but also very manageable and not overly complex.
Now, a note on point 2 above: The Scalability of Order:
Fluid scalability is an important aspect of any LEGO storage system. LEGO collections are not static, but are living organisms; as new sets are purchased, old displays disassembled, etc., the storage must shift and grow to accommodate. This truth informs both the selection of bin type, as well as the sorting methods applied.
During quarantine, I started work on a large table layout build — a working coaster model of the original Disneyland Pirates of the Caribbean ride. It had previously been quite a long while since I’d built a large MOC, but had accumulated and disassembled several sets in the meantime. I very quickly found the need to refine my sorting system for a certain category which would be essential to this build: greyscale.
Well over 50% of my collection is Star Wars and Batman and other themes with a lot of black and grey. I’ve got a ton of the stuff. It’s likely a common situation... A lot of official sets across a wide range of themes use grey tones as their base colours. In my case, this meant that the sorting system for greyscale in particular would require some rethinking in order remain efficient; it got to the point where I’d have to dig through 10-12 separate bins of mixed white/black/grey in order to find something.
This also meant, however, that I now had enough greyscale to justify a degree more granular in my sorting system for that scheme, and so the solution was to assign bins by broad category:
- Brick
- Modified, Round & Wedge Brick
- Slopes & Arches
- Plate (6 stud LxW & under)
- Plate (over 6 stud LxW)
- Modified & Round Plate
- Wedge Plate (more common than wedge brick, so gets its own bin)
- Tile (for now including modified tile, jumper plates, etc.)
- Weird Stuff (i.e., everything else...bars, windows, panels, engine parts, etc.)
*Side note: Unsorted Technic, along with coaster track, train elements, wheels and axles, etc. all have their own bins...lots of grey here but technically these are sorted by category only, not included in the greyscale scheme.
Resorting all my white/black/grey into these subcategories has now become the current quarantine/downtime project. Tones and variants within each category remain mixed, as do various lengths of standard parts, except where noted (...I find plates larger than 6 studs to be burdensome to digging when mixed with smaller parts).
So this is what I mean when I say the scope of ordering (i.e., how granular of organisation ought to be utilised) must be scaleable in tandem with the quantity of a given part type. In this case, there’s a lot of grey, so more subdivision is needed. The other colour schemes remain the same...Earth-tones will be the next in line.
To subdivide these earlier than large quantities necessitate would not be a worthy exchange in efficiency. There is likely not, for example, enough red slopes and arches in the collection to justify a dedicated bin (not to mention the time spent sorting them out). It is more efficient to keep the red mixed, having only one or two bins to dig through when building with red.
The choice of bins makes this system possible. There are two main types I use. After considering an insanely wide array of options, I believe these to be the best available for this type of storage plan — stackable bins that you’re going to use not just for storage, but also for digging.
The main type is a Sterilite 15 quart clear bin with latching lid. For some reason, Sterilite makes several models with oddly minor variations that only sell at particular stores. I’ve only ever seen this exact type at Wal-Mart, which is unfortunate. (Model 1494 on the Sterilite website is similar, but with some notable differences.) They go for around $4-$6 USD each.
Not all 15 quart bins are created equal; this one features rounded corners, which are ideal for picking out small parts which always make their ways down there. Also, the latching lid adds a modicum of security for transport. The lids stack nicely on their own, and turned upside-down, their sturdiness and curved shape allows them to be used as parts trays.
The 15 quart size is ideal because it’s large enough to hold a lot of pieces, yet small enough to be manageable for digging. It also stores nicely. You want a relatively shallow bin, and to be able to dig all the way to the bottom of each corner and middle without having to hold back a huge water-wall of parts constantly. To this end also, I keep my standard parts bins around half-to-two-thirds full, but no more.
Aside from digging space, the top half of each bin is reserved for storing the second type of bin used. This is the Sterilite Model 1402 Divided Storage. These are available online; I’ve also found them at Target and Home Depot for around $8-$9 each. It is a brilliant design. A masterpiece.
Each comes with three inner trays, which are removable. Unlike most bins of this type, such as those for nuts & bolts, etc., the dividers here are fixed sizes. While being less customizable, I find this superior; the movable walls of other divider cases are prone to move when you don’t want them to, and sometimes the gaps left by them are large enough for parts to slip through. The standard sizes of these are sufficient for a wide range of parts. The individual compartments are larger than most, easy to dig through and pick things out of. They are also stackable outside the main bin, which is hugely helpful.
These bins are low-profile, and whether by design or coincidence, happen to fit perfectly inside of the 15 quart bins. This allows for a wide range of modularity within the bins. Some I use without dividers at all, such as for unsorted minifigs, for example, or other part types within which there are enough to keep separate but not enough for a 15 quart. It’s perfect for subdividing within otherwise unsorted colour schemes — sorting out all the brown tile, for instance — while keeping all within one bin, stackable together.
Other times I use just one or several of the divider trays on their own, placed on top of the other bricks in a bin. This is great for keeping select parts separated out mid-project while keeping the workspace tidy.
The integration of these two bin types is the foundation of the entire system. They stack well on their own or together, and in several combinations within each other, all fluid and customizable according to need...but again, keeping it simple, to only a measured degree of ordering.
Lastly, a few outliers & additional recommendations:
There exists also a deep version of the 15 quart size (27 quart, I believe); it uses the same lid and they can stack together. They are fantastic for 32x baseplates, stacked vertically.
This yellow device is called the Easy Sorter Funnel Tray. I got mine at Harbor Freight Tools for about $3 but they can also be found online. I use them constantly for sorting, especially during disassembly. The funnel end pours perfectly into each of the divider sections, and the tray stores well in the top of the bins.
I do keep one quite large bin for odds and ends, things that either won’t fit the others or are just not often used. Mostly this houses to-be-sorted (and/or cleaned) parts, along with the two official blue LEGO bins. Eventually, I’d like to find a better-integrated solution to replace these.
For display, I recommend the IKEA Detolf glass door cabinet (~$60). They’re a bit of a pain to assemble (and definitely a pain to move), but it is a minimalistic and inexpensive solution, as well as being one of the few I’ve found that allows for 360 viewing without obstruction. Each of the four sections are roughly cubic, and nicely sized for a 32x baseplate builds or two 16x16 plates (the latter of which is a favorite form factor of mine for small vignette MOCs).
Larger models live on window sills and bookshelves. Dusting is a battle, of course. Canned air is tool #1.
For minifigs, I feel displaying them alone often looks cluttered, and so prefer to build small vignettes around particular figs I want to showcase. I did recently find a case that works well, however; it’s called the Keepsake Display Case, and can be found at Michael’s craft store. It holds around 60 figs. I need to find a good wall spot for mine still.
Ok, that’s what I’ve got! Hopefully this has been of use to you and not too overly detailed to be helpful.
Be well...& happy building.
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19 comments on this article
Love the bowl at the end! :)
I love your organization and displays.
I love the display! Well done.
"I find the act of digging through unsorted bins in search of a certain element to be both therapeutic and meditative."
This was the exact feeling I had when I (in my mid-30s) finally came out of my dark ages and was handed over the old lego boxes my mother had stored for all those years. Digging through unsorted bricks probably accounts for half my childhood.
Now this is more like a proper storage system - well written, thanks.
@Deathmoth How do you clean those glass cabinets and shelves? Whatever I do there are always streaks visible on glass shelves, especially with back light
I love the yoda with gimer stick instead of lightsaber. Lego missed a trick by not including parts for both to appeal to both OT and PT fans. At least I'm assuming they didn't as I haven't opened mine yet.
Thank you for sharing! My parts are not sorted but your method is probably the closest to what I had in mind. I wouldn't want to overly organize my collection because I don't mind digging through various pieces. Using the free space for other organizers inside the bins is a trick I've used before, too. Definitely like the efficiency!
Super interesting, many thanks for sharing your methodology !
So, great timing here as I had just picked up a couple of the Sterilite Model 1402 Divided Storage that you mentioned. Found them at Meijer, here in the states. They only had 2, and I hope they get more in. I find them to be fabulous in all aspects.
Great write-up, thanks for sharing!
I, myself, am a digger. I did sort my pieces in similar plastic bins in separate colors. Black is indeed a pain to search through. One negative aspect of this method: tiles and other stuff with smooth surfaces gets scratched up very fast by the steady rummaging. I try to put those pieces into extra ziploc bags.
That's cool your spouse agrees you put so many Legos everywhere! :-)
Excellent article I must say. Those glass cabinets look truly spectacular- I must invest in some. Thank you for sharing your storage tips.
Detolf FTW!
Those sterilite containers w trays are awesome. I got a few of those from The Home Depot. I enjoyed your tips and advice, and the fish bowl at the end is terrific!
I love sorting, it gives me peace during stressful times. I also like to organize and align all the pieces before I start building a set.
@myth said:
" @Deathmoth How do you clean those glass cabinets and shelves? Whatever I do there are always streaks visible on glass shelves, especially with back light"
I think it depends on the product you use combined with your method. I recently switched to "Professional Unger Easy Glide Cleaner" which is available in hardware stores here and there are no streaks at all.
I used to and to some extent still do, keep my parts in a similarly color coded manner. For example yellow blue and green in one drawer. Brown tan and white in another etc. it does make sense and cuts down on overall storage space
Imagine having extra baseplates