Put away your LEGOs!
23.9.2019
Translation: machine translated
One LEGO collector told me about his sorting system for his bricks, the practical tools in his 'workshop' and how he fights dust.
The portrait I've painted of Thomas, LEGO fan, has prompted led to numerous comments from readers, including one from user fluxxis.
Storage for your LEGO workshop? This is a subject on which I need to consult an expert. So I turned to Thomas again. He found the question interesting and invited me to his home once again.
By size not colour
According to Thomas, when it comes to sorting bricks, many make the same mistake: by colour. It's pretty, but there's almost no benefit. It's better to separate the bricks according to size or theme. For example, Thomas has a compartment containing LEGO bricks for trees if he wants to build a park. In another box, he has put the car parts to create vehicles. It's also worth separating old and new LEGO bricks: "Depending on their age, the bricks can turn yellow or be damaged. I sort them out too."
To sort the bricks, Thomas has a wall full of drawer trays straight out of our DIY range. He swears by them, because you don't need to open them to see what's inside. They're easy to stack and come in a range of sizes. Thomas prefers the smaller compartments: "With the larger ones, you can install crossbars as partitions, but the smaller compartments offer more visibility."
Under his table are more boxes full of bricks. "I store unsorted bricks in large plastic boxes," Thomas explains. "Depending on my mood, I grab one from time to time and start sorting through everything. "It's monotonous work, but meditative.
Little helpers
Aside from the compartments, any workshop has to incorporate certain practical objects, such as a cutting support, a kind of blotter that we've all seen in the classrooms of his youth. He likes it a lot, because it's nice and clean to work with, just like the indispensable desk lamp, "which doesn't have to be beautiful, but simply has to fulfil its lighting function."Thomas also has a whole bunch of pliers that allow him to place the stickers precisely on the LEGO bricks.
Dust, that enemy
Thomas' sworn enemy is dust. The problem is, you can't just vacuum LEGO buildings and risk "sucking up bricks in the process", which is why Thomas often uses compressed air, brushes and microfibre cloths, a never-ending job. "The dust passes from one place to another, but never disappears completely."
Want more LEGO advice? Then ask me your questions in the comments column and I'll try to answer them in another article! Follow my author profile and you'll be notified as soon as I have more LEGO tips and tricks to share with you.
Riding my motorbike makes me feel free, fishing brings out my inner hunter, using my camera gets me creative. I make my money messing around with toys all day.
