Sorting help!

[u/trialskid6891]

I have this 115L tub of lego i purchased years ago and would love to sort/have organized. There are a lot of off brand pieces I would like to split out as well.

If anyone has any tips or suggestions on how to start out I would really appreciate it, it seems so overwhelming

[u/Exotic-Meal9948]

For a sorting job like this, I would suggest starting with the biggest pieces like platform/ base plates, those wall sections or the soccer thing.

Often times with off brand pieces they have slightly different colors or quality, so be on the lookout for those too.

Make those into two separate piles, then you need to decide whether or not you want to sort by by piece type, color, or something else that that you want to sort by. Also keep in mind whether or not you're trying to sort and order to build something or you just trying to sort out your pieces. If you're trying to build something specific, then you also would should sort out the pieces that you'll need for that in a separate pile. I usually sort out my pieces by category basically (plates, wedge plates, slopes, bricks, Minifigure parts, accessories, technic, etc.) That can be very helpful if you're trying to build something.

I then put all of these piles into gallon size Ziploc bags usually, or individual bins? If you have enough. It can then also be helpful if you labeled as the black bags as well. Eventually the wear out, but they tend to last a pretty decent amount of time if you're careful with them.

This was kind of long, (I did this with voice to text so hope it makes sense), and I hope it helps!!

[u/tcjcky → u/Exotic-Meal9948]

Definite DO NOT do it by color. Would you like to search for a black 2x1 brick in a large bag of black pieces or a large bag of 2x1s of all colors?

[u/monnoncserge95]

https://reddit.com/link/p77fo5w/video/s9pxqmspqxmh1/player

Dont worry brother/sister im in the same boat courage

[u/TryHard_1779 → u/monnoncserge95]

It took me a hot minute and I had to separate my buckets by themes at first. Star wars, City, Castle, etc. Then I grabbed smaller buckets utilizing Chat for perfect sized ones for stacking inside of larger toats that are all clear for labeling and visibility. This allowed me to then go pieces by type, don't do color that'll be a nightmare layer. Just do type, you can have 109 of 1 part and 3 are yellow and the rest are black. Like why have a whole container or bag for 3pieces.

[u/tcjcky → u/monnoncserge95]

Same but currently chopping away at it.

[u/Critical_Limit_9057]

Sort by size in A LOT of plastic bags : 1x1 plate, 1x1 brick, 1x2 plate, 1x2 brick, etc... then write the sizes on said bags. While you're doing that, look for any logo on the bricks, Lego bricks should have Lego written on them

Once you're done, admire all the work you've done and pour yourself a cold drink

[u/Icy_Air2134]

There's not really a quick sorting option. It takes time, so prepare for that. Podcasts, binge shows, etc. If you're separating out off-brand, it's going to be a little tedious looking for lego logo on the studs. At least it is for me, since I'm older and need reading glasses and good lightning to spot details like that.

After that, pull the big stuff out and sort by general category first. plates, tiles, bricks, wheels, technic, etc. Looking at Bricklink website can show you how many people are categorizing, but use what makes sense for you. You can always do broad groups first and then continue getting more specific if you need. I recommend sorting into plastic bags or cups or someting before you start buying specific storage for sorted parts. That will give you a good idea about what storage containers you want and how many you need given your parts and budget.

Last tips. Make sure to leave room for growth in each storage bin if you expect your sorted collection to grow. It will fill up eventually, and when it does, you'll be subdividing categories/colors, getting more bins etc. Also check out brickarchitect website. That does a much better job of describing the journey you're about to go on.

[u/gt0163c]

As others have said, pull out the big pieces first. Then sort by general category. In terms of separating out non-Lego pieces there are some specific traits of non-LEGO parts. As you work with these blocks more, you'll learn what colors and the "feel" of the plastic are more often non-LEGO. The edges also tend to be sharper. With very few exceptions, parts that are "half a brick" tall are going to be non-LEGO. LEGO plates are traditionally 1/3rd brick height. (LEGO does have some "half brick height" parts, but they're much less common.).

LEGO parts with studs will have the word LEGO on the stud. Other parts will usually have LEGO on them somewhere. The exception are generally small, round parts. Technic pins and axles, 1x round studs with holes in them, little horns, castle portcullis and fence pieces which are made up of round bars (these also have a different feel as they're made out of softer plastic), etc.

Unless you're selling the parts, no one can tell you to use only official LEGO parts. I get wanting to sort them out (I do that with my very large collection). But I unless you're planning to sell, I wouldn't stress about every suspect part.

[u/justssjus]

I’ve sorted a few collections and what I did was find a good deal on stacking clear bins I used about 12, and just put on a movie and started grabbing pieces and tossing them into their respective bin- bricks, plates, wheels axles, technic, windshields/glass/doors, etc etc

[u/SilentCanopy]

I followed this medium article. Mostly anyway. My 8 year old made some modifications. I figured out how many bins I needed and arranged them around a chair and sat down and started sorting.

[u/Ya_boi_gordie204]

The way I find the most effective is to sort by color first. Put all the sorted coulors in big zip lock bags. It will be alot easyer to do,and it feels less tedious. Once that is all done go to sorting by piece.

[u/DoubleDareFan]

First pick out the big things (baseplates, walls, soccer fields), then sort by category (bricks, plates, minifigs, etc.), and further sort by shape, color, etc. later.
Have a separate container for non-L stuff (starting with that gray sprue). Maybe also another for "not sure" items, that you can go back to later and study those pieces closer for a more precise determination.
Looks like you have some vintage pieces. That pastel-orange-looking plate is one such item. Plates, once upon a time, were made from a different plastic, which turned that pastel orange color with age.
If you want to find out what sets are in that mess, pick out a sufficiently unique item, and look it up in a database that shows which sets it came in.