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| | | Author: | Rambothecat  | | Posted: | Mar 21, 2022 13:04 | | Subject: | Sorting advice.... feeling overwhelmed :( | | Viewed: | 289 times | | Topic: | General | |
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| New here so hope this is the right place to post.
I recently received about 5 very large tubs (couple hundred pounds probably)from
a friend and am trying to sort them but feel overwhelmed. It seems like I could
continue to sort forever and I am always having to move a type of piece around
as I find that I get too many for the original place I expected to put it.
There seems to be too much of each item (even if I break it down to color) to
have them fit into the small trays that come in most hardware bins. So I am using
a larger drawer items like the ones that are typically 10 drawers high but it
is taking so much room and I am not breaking it down enough to easily find pieces
I need.
One area I need to break down more and am looking for advice is Curves/slopes.
There are so many different varieties it seems hard to categorize them, how
do you guys do this??
I don't really plan on setting this up for selling, but want to be able to
find pieces I need for builds easier. Help!!
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| | | | | Author: | SylvainLS | | Posted: | Mar 21, 2022 13:20 | | Subject: | Re: Sorting advice.... feeling overwhelmed :( | | Viewed: | 88 times | | Topic: | General | |
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| In General, Rambothecat writes:
| | New here so hope this is the right place to post.
|
Hi and welcome 
| | I recently received about 5 very large tubs (couple hundred pounds probably)from
a friend and am trying to sort them but feel overwhelmed. It seems like I could
continue to sort forever and I am always having to move a type of piece around
as I find that I get too many for the original place I expected to put it.
There seems to be too much of each item (even if I break it down to color) to
have them fit into the small trays that come in most hardware bins. So I am using
a larger drawer items like the ones that are typically 10 drawers high but it
is taking so much room and I am not breaking it down enough to easily find pieces
I need.
One area I need to break down more and am looking for advice is Curves/slopes.
There are so many different varieties it seems hard to categorize them, how
do you guys do this??
I don't really plan on setting this up for selling, but want to be able to
find pieces I need for builds easier. Help!!
|
For storage, see this thread from two months ago: https://www.bricklink.com/message.asp?ID=1324112
For sorting, there’s been a few threads too… hmm, this one post is interesting:
https://www.bricklink.com/message.asp?ID=1168438
and it was spurred by this thread I think: https://www.bricklink.com/message.asp?ID=1156570
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| | | | | Author: | 1001bricks | | Posted: | Mar 21, 2022 13:29 | | Subject: | Re: Sorting advice.... feeling overwhelmed :( | | Viewed: | 94 times | | Topic: | General | |
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| | | I don't really plan on setting this up for selling, but want to be able to
find pieces I need for builds easier. Help!!
|
For building I use big zip bags with a large sticker on it, easy to read.
I've my own "categories", like:
* bricks
* slopes
* round/curved/arches
* small plates rectangular (up to 4x4)
* bigger plates rectangular
* plates non rectangular (wedges, curt corners...)
* rotational elements (hinges etc)
* ...
* technic bricks
* technic rest
...
So in maybe 20 bags you can sort and find eaasily what you're looking for.
The idea is to build categories corresponding to the building process, and NOT
the official categories.
And of course you could use drawers or boxes...
HTH?
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| | | | | | | Author: | maxx3001 | | Posted: | Mar 21, 2022 14:08 | | Subject: | Re: Sorting advice.... feeling overwhelmed :( | | Viewed: | 74 times | | Topic: | General | |
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| In General, 1001bricks writes:
| | | | I don't really plan on setting this up for selling, but want to be able to
find pieces I need for builds easier. Help!!
|
For building I use big zip bags with a large sticker on it, easy to read.
I've my own "categories", like:
* bricks
* slopes
* round/curved/arches
* small plates rectangular (up to 4x4)
* bigger plates rectangular
* plates non rectangular (wedges, curt corners...)
* rotational elements (hinges etc)
* ...
* technic bricks
* technic rest
...
So in maybe 20 bags you can sort and find eaasily what you're looking for.
The idea is to build categories corresponding to the building process, and NOT
the official categories.
And of course you could use drawers or boxes...
HTH?
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Hard To Hear?
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| | | | | | | | | Author: | SylvainLS | | Posted: | Mar 21, 2022 14:24 | | Subject: | Re: Sorting advice.... feeling overwhelmed :( | | Viewed: | 67 times | | Topic: | General | |
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| In General, maxx3001 writes:
| | In General, 1001bricks writes:
[…]
Hard To Hear?
|
Ah, thanks! I always wondered what that meant. Everything is clearer now
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| | | | | | | | | | | Author: | 1001bricks | | Posted: | Mar 21, 2022 15:55 | | Subject: | Re: Sorting advice.... feeling overwhelmed :( | | Viewed: | 62 times | | Topic: | General | |
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| In General, SylvainLS writes:
| | In General, maxx3001 writes:
| | In General, 1001bricks writes:
[…]
Hard To Hear?
|
Ah, thanks! I always wondered what that meant. Everything is clearer now
|
Hoping that helps.
HTH?
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| | | | | | | | | | | | | Author: | maxx3001 | | Posted: | Mar 21, 2022 16:12 | | Subject: | Re: Sorting advice.... feeling overwhelmed :( | | Viewed: | 47 times | | Topic: | General | |
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| In General, 1001bricks writes:
| | In General, SylvainLS writes:
| | In General, maxx3001 writes:
| | In General, 1001bricks writes:
[…]
Hard To Hear?
|
Ah, thanks! I always wondered what that meant. Everything is clearer now
|
Hoping that helps.
|
Yes, it helps, now I know why it is written with capital letters, because it
is Hard To Hear
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| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Author: | 1001bricks | | Posted: | Mar 21, 2022 16:17 | | Subject: | Re: Sorting advice.... feeling overwhelmed :( | | Viewed: | 67 times | | Topic: | General | |
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| | | | | | | | | Hard To Hear?
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Ah, thanks! I always wondered what that meant. Everything is clearer now
|
Hoping that helps.
|
Yes, it helps, now I know why it is written with capital letters, because it
is Hard To Hear
|
You're now in my Least Favorites Person I'll reply to in Forum.
SylvainLS will be your friend in this list.
Ah, and WildChicken too (why not!)
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| | | | | Author: | eileenkeeney | | Posted: | Mar 21, 2022 14:59 | | Subject: | Re: Sorting advice.... feeling overwhelmed :( | | Viewed: | 69 times | | Topic: | General | |
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| If you do not plan on selling (as you indicate), and it is just for your own
use when building, you scheme should correlate with how you build. You do not
need to be concerned with the details of all the varieties.
I run into the same issue when sorting, I underestimate the size of the container
I need.
I found that bags work far better than any tray or hard container system. Now
when the quantity of pieces exceeds the bag, I can easily dump the bag into a
larger bag and/or further sort to a higher isolation.
My system includes smaller bags inside larger bags. For example, I have a large
bag of gray 2x plates, with multiple smaller bags inside further isolated by
length. How many lengths in one bag depends on how many of the piece I have.
The bags of pieces are then stored in boxes (or totes). For pieces sorted by
color I try to use a box (or tote) of a color close to that of the pieces. If
I do not have the needed color I put a strip of cloth around the tote indicating
the color, or just a large label.
Boxes are easy to paint and I don't need to paint the whole box, just enough
to easily identify the color. I now avoid those cheap cardboard-covered-with-cloth
totes, as the cloth on my older cheaper ones is already disintegrating. Underneath
the cheap petroleum based fabric is just a cardboard box. I once liked to use
these totes due to so many colors available in very similar sizes.
My two basic considerations for mixing colors vs sorting by color are function
and quantity. Pieces that are more functional (where I am more likely to substitute
a different color than a different shape) are sorted by function. Pieces where
I am more likely to substitute the same color, but different piece, are sorted
by color. Does the piece provide shape or some other function such as a hinge
or a turntable, is the question I ask myself when deciding if I want to sort
by color and the level of sort isolation.
I used to have direction changing pieces all together, but then ended up sorting
out the colors for which I had a lot, as I was using large quantities.
I have a box of gray and green unsorted wedges of various shapes that I like
to use for landscaping.
I have a few sets of rotating bins, designed for storing nuts and bolts. When
I am actually building, I put the needed bags of pieces into these totes. the
bags stand up in a way making it easy for me to grab the pieces I need.
Recently I saw another style rotating bin that looked like it would be useful
for storing sorted pieces, and for easy access while building, as each section
could be pulled out for easy access, or tucked in for storage. But the reviews
on these are not good, so I have not yet bought one.
I have started switching from plastic bags to cotton cloth bags. But sewing
these bags, into the various sizes I need, takes a lot of time and effort. (I
have time now that I am retired). I am committed to not buying any additional
plastic bags or totes, but will still use the ones I already have. Several of
my cheap plastic storage totes are cracking.
I avoid sticky labels on plastic bags, as the bags purpose might change. I prefer
to just put the label inside the bag, and have it large enough it easily stays
where I can see it.
I have used cardboard dividers between the bags in the box and between smaller
bags in a larger bag. This worked ok and allowed for faster identification of
the needed bag when sorting. I suppose one could just put a new sticky label
over an old one, maybe sticky labels are better. My paper ones often end up
getting crunched in the bag.
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| | | | | | | Author: | Rambothecat | | Posted: | Mar 21, 2022 17:06 | | Subject: | Re: Sorting advice.... feeling overwhelmed :( | | Viewed: | 86 times | | Topic: | General | |
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| Thank you for all the suggestions.
Sounds like I need to utilize bags more than I currently am. I had separated
my items by the various categories and had a few other categories as well. The
suggestion to separate the modified and standard I think will really help and
may still make many of the categories manageable.
Happy Building everyone!!
In General, eileenkeeney writes:
| | If you do not plan on selling (as you indicate), and it is just for your own
use when building, you scheme should correlate with how you build. You do not
need to be concerned with the details of all the varieties.
I run into the same issue when sorting, I underestimate the size of the container
I need.
I found that bags work far better than any tray or hard container system. Now
when the quantity of pieces exceeds the bag, I can easily dump the bag into a
larger bag and/or further sort to a higher isolation.
My system includes smaller bags inside larger bags. For example, I have a large
bag of gray 2x plates, with multiple smaller bags inside further isolated by
length. How many lengths in one bag depends on how many of the piece I have.
The bags of pieces are then stored in boxes (or totes). For pieces sorted by
color I try to use a box (or tote) of a color close to that of the pieces. If
I do not have the needed color I put a strip of cloth around the tote indicating
the color, or just a large label.
Boxes are easy to paint and I don't need to paint the whole box, just enough
to easily identify the color. I now avoid those cheap cardboard-covered-with-cloth
totes, as the cloth on my older cheaper ones is already disintegrating. Underneath
the cheap petroleum based fabric is just a cardboard box. I once liked to use
these totes due to so many colors available in very similar sizes.
My two basic considerations for mixing colors vs sorting by color are function
and quantity. Pieces that are more functional (where I am more likely to substitute
a different color than a different shape) are sorted by function. Pieces where
I am more likely to substitute the same color, but different piece, are sorted
by color. Does the piece provide shape or some other function such as a hinge
or a turntable, is the question I ask myself when deciding if I want to sort
by color and the level of sort isolation.
I used to have direction changing pieces all together, but then ended up sorting
out the colors for which I had a lot, as I was using large quantities.
I have a box of gray and green unsorted wedges of various shapes that I like
to use for landscaping.
I have a few sets of rotating bins, designed for storing nuts and bolts. When
I am actually building, I put the needed bags of pieces into these totes. the
bags stand up in a way making it easy for me to grab the pieces I need.
Recently I saw another style rotating bin that looked like it would be useful
for storing sorted pieces, and for easy access while building, as each section
could be pulled out for easy access, or tucked in for storage. But the reviews
on these are not good, so I have not yet bought one.
I have started switching from plastic bags to cotton cloth bags. But sewing
these bags, into the various sizes I need, takes a lot of time and effort. (I
have time now that I am retired). I am committed to not buying any additional
plastic bags or totes, but will still use the ones I already have. Several of
my cheap plastic storage totes are cracking.
I avoid sticky labels on plastic bags, as the bags purpose might change. I prefer
to just put the label inside the bag, and have it large enough it easily stays
where I can see it.
I have used cardboard dividers between the bags in the box and between smaller
bags in a larger bag. This worked ok and allowed for faster identification of
the needed bag when sorting. I suppose one could just put a new sticky label
over an old one, maybe sticky labels are better. My paper ones often end up
getting crunched in the bag.
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| | | | | Author: | Sadler_Bricks | | Posted: | Mar 22, 2022 03:29 | | Subject: | Re: Sorting advice.... feeling overwhelmed :( | | Viewed: | 47 times | | Topic: | General | |
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| Start small and build up. You will findout there will be many changes in your
journey space and storage will always be key so try and have a variety of sizes
to meet the needs of growing inventory good luck on your lego journey
Sadler_bricks
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| | | | | Author: | mjsheller | | Posted: | Mar 23, 2022 19:59 | | Subject: | Re: Sorting advice.... feeling overwhelmed :( | | Viewed: | 87 times | | Topic: | General | |
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| In General, Rambothecat writes:
| | New here so hope this is the right place to post.
I recently received about 5 very large tubs (couple hundred pounds probably)from
a friend and am trying to sort them but feel overwhelmed. It seems like I could
continue to sort forever and I am always having to move a type of piece around
as I find that I get too many for the original place I expected to put it.
There seems to be too much of each item (even if I break it down to color) to
have them fit into the small trays that come in most hardware bins. So I am using
a larger drawer items like the ones that are typically 10 drawers high but it
is taking so much room and I am not breaking it down enough to easily find pieces
I need.
One area I need to break down more and am looking for advice is Curves/slopes.
There are so many different varieties it seems hard to categorize them, how
do you guys do this??
I don't really plan on setting this up for selling, but want to be able to
find pieces I need for builds easier. Help!!
|
It is normal to get overwhelmed I think.
This is how I handled the last several hundred pounds I sorted. I had some medium
and large flat rate boxes I assembled. I emptied the contents of one bin on
a sheet on the dining room table and walked around collecting large plates anything
4x4 or greater and dumped them in a large box. I kept doing this until the box
was full or I just got sick of grabbing only large plates. I repeated the process
for all 2 by plates (2x2; 2x3; 2x4 up to 2x16). Grabbed another empty box 1x2,3,4,6,8,10
plates. I put the 1x1 plates into a clear 2 liter soda bottle (label removed)
with the neck cut off. Same process for bricks. Then modified plates. Another
2 liter bottle for mini-figures, helmets, caps, hats, body armor hands, arms
etc. I kept doing this for each bin until they were empty. Usually the empty
bins then ended up holding one of the major categories (large plates, 2 by plates,
bricks as I keep emptying full boxes into the empty bins. I never spent any
money on storage except for gallon food storage bags.
Then I sort each group again by size, all 1x2 plates go into an appropriate sized
plastic bag (sandwich, quart, gallon whatever) and back it to the clear bin or
medium flat rate box. If you wish to sort again by color that is up to you.
The cardboard boxes stack up high and flat no shelving was needed and each box
can easily be labeled in any fashion.
Relax, have fun and like it was said before me your system will evolve and change
thru the years of building.
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| | | | | Author: | Sterra | | Posted: | Mar 30, 2022 18:40 | | Subject: | Re: Sorting advice.... feeling overwhelmed :( | | Viewed: | 49 times | | Topic: | General | |
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| In General, Rambothecat writes:
| | New here so hope this is the right place to post.
I recently received about 5 very large tubs (couple hundred pounds probably)from
a friend and am trying to sort them but feel overwhelmed. It seems like I could
continue to sort forever and I am always having to move a type of piece around
as I find that I get too many for the original place I expected to put it.
There seems to be too much of each item (even if I break it down to color) to
have them fit into the small trays that come in most hardware bins. So I am using
a larger drawer items like the ones that are typically 10 drawers high but it
is taking so much room and I am not breaking it down enough to easily find pieces
I need.
One area I need to break down more and am looking for advice is Curves/slopes.
There are so many different varieties it seems hard to categorize them, how
do you guys do this??
I don't really plan on setting this up for selling, but want to be able to
find pieces I need for builds easier. Help!!
|
Yes everyone gets overwhelmed, Suggestions not already said:
Sit comfortably or alternate with walking around. I prefer a sheet on the
dining room table (the kind with elastic on the corners to keep the bricks in
a little), or I set up a card table with swimming noodles around the edge (just
put a slit in them and wrap it around). Floors don't work for me.
Don't do it all at once! Sort one bin at a time and repeat. There will
always be a bucket of mixed pieces.
Don't put your coffee cup/water bottle/etc on the table you are working
on. Just a bad plan.
Find something to watch/listen to while you sort. Binge last season, extended
version of Lord of the Rings or an audiobook that you never got around to reading.
Take breaks.
It takes a while but its worth it.
Sandra
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USA, Texas
France, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Netherlands, Utrecht
Canada, Manitoba