What is my LEGO hobby?

[LegoSjaak]

My 4 year old son loves sorting..get him a bucket of 5-10 kinds of different bricks or coins and he will sort untill he has separated all of them..haha. it seems to be a characteristic for a lot of people..

[Jared]

Sorting? Yuck. Blech. Etc. :P

As a certain popular meme would have it: "Sorting? Ain't nobody got time fo' dat!"

[kamkaran]

This post seems a good one so that just wanna say thanks for your good works!!

[ShaydDeGrai]

I suppose I'd better sign up for the Perpetually Sorting Club as I just spent the better part of this weekend sorting, separating, grouping and packing parts from three recent BrickLink orders. I'd nominally placed to orders to experiment with some designs I'm working on for a new set of MOCs; but, by the clock, I spent about four times as long getting organized as I did actually building something. The ratios aren't always that bad, but I do have to admit I've got lots of little official sets sitting around that I fully intent to bulk for parts that I've just left assembled because the process of filing all those parts back into the appropriate bin/box/tray/baggie/cup/etc. is too daunting for a casual "something to do while watching TV after work" activity.

I'm not sure if sorting Lego counts as a hobby in its own right, but my dad was a coin collector and he used to spend hours sorting, grading and filing everything from bulk purchases to pocket change and people see that as a hobby. Maybe I actually have multiple Lego hobbies, one focusing on design and construction and one dedicated to battling the entropy inherent in a bucket of random parts.

[Richila]

Andy, we should start a club or have our own Forum here on EB . I have 4-5 MOCS ready to go, all sorted and organized, I think I enjoy the planning and organizing more than the actually building.

Hahahahah, lately all I'm doing is sorting. I'm destroying sets on my shelves (I replace them with new sets I like better) but I have like 20-30 sets to sort... Gonna take me a while hahaha xD

Sorting club! Oh yeah.

If we had a "Sort Club", would we be able to talk about it?

[ocifant]

If we had a "Sort Club", would we be able to talk about it?

So now you're trying to sort the rules?

[Andy D]

So now you're trying to sort the rules?

Sure! We discuss sorting all the time. I'm sure most of us spend at least as much time sorting as building... Me, I spend more time sorting than building... But it is all part of the fun. Discovering and re-discovering parts.

Andy D

[Slegengr]

I also spend a lot of time sorting, but I do like to leave some unsorted for the fun of finding all sorts of pieces while searching for a piece.

Each time I build with my younger siblings, we dump unsorted tubs onto a large sheet. I commence building something, but I collect special possibly-used-later pieces at the edge of the sheet. By the time our time is up, we each have heaps of parts moved off the sheet, which slightly defeats the purpose of the quick-clean achieved with the sheet to move the pieces back to the tubs!

I do enjoy sorting to some extent, as I like creating order from chaos, but that is most of what I have been doing recently. I have ordered many parts from BrickLink for future MOCs but have mostly just sorted the parts.

It's time for me to build...

[pixie]

I sort when I'm tired of building. It's kind of relaxing. Bringing order to chaos.

Me too. It's very relaxing

[Erik Leppen]

I do think many people over-sort. I have seen plenty of pictures of endless rows of boxes containing everything sorted into the tinyest detail. I am talking about people sorting #3 axles apart, then #4 axles apart, then #5 axles apart, and about people sorting red 1 x 2 plates apart, then black 1 x 2 plates apart, then gray plates 1 x 2 apart. And I wonder, why do people do that? Can't they tell a red plate from a black one during building, or can't they find an axle #4 if there are axles #3 and #5 in the same box?

Sorting is needed to decrease the time spent looking for parts, and to have a general overview of the contents of one's collection. So as long as sorting parts has this effect, then it's useful to do. When sorting further doesn't decrease lookup times or further increases this overview, it has no point (other than the fact that it's relaxing to do, which I find myself as well).

Also, sorting pieces in 10 bins that could go in one, means the time looking for bins increases. So my rule of thumb is, split a bin into two only if I have difficulty finding parts in it. Only then will it save time in the long run.

Also all bins I use often have no lid - so I lose no time opening and closing them.

So I sort the parts according to how often I need them, how long it takes to find them, how long it takes to sort them, how enjoyable they are to sort and the number of bins I need at the same time when building. For example, Technic pins and axles I find personally annoying to sort. Quite recently I lumped all pins and axles in one big box and to be honest, I like it. Sorting takes less time, there is now one bin I always need instead of five bins I almost-always need, and the lookup times for pins and axles hasn't really gone up a lot, thanks to their color coding! In contrast, I also recently separated #15 Technic beams from the box that contained #7 up to #15 straight beams, as that helped me find #7 to #13 beams much quicker.

[ShaydDeGrai]

I do think many people over-sort. I have seen plenty of pictures of endless rows of boxes containing everything sorted into the tinyest detail. I am talking about people sorting #3 axles apart, then #4 axles apart, then #5 axles apart, and about people sorting red 1 x 2 plates apart, then black 1 x 2 plates apart, then gray plates 1 x 2 apart. And I wonder, why do people do that? Can't they tell a red plate from a black one during building, or can't they find an axle #4 if there are axles #3 and #5 in the same box?

I think it's really a question of scale and ratios. For example, I don't bother sorting any axles #10 or longer because I only have a few dozen of each (and just a few of the ridiculously long but not terribly useful ones), but when I'm looking for a #3 axle in a bin with hundreds of #4 axles, I just want to pick up one part and go, not grab a handful, compare lengths, find the right part and put back all the rest (this latter method is made worse by the fact that I have a lot of old axles that pre-date the color code of even numbered axles being black and odd being gray, so it really would come down to comparing actual lengths in many cases).

Similarly, in most of my trays (which are sorted first by color then by part family), I usually reserve one slot for "miscellaneous related" for things that I don't have enough of to justify filing separately. The "efficiency" of the system is pretty organic, if I don't have very many of part X in color Y they I probably don't use it that often and can afford/justify the extra time it takes to rummage around for it when I _do_ need one; Parts I use on a regular basis, I tend to stock in larger quantities, so it makes sense to dedicate storage for them. So, in my case, it's not that I _can't_ find a red plate in a bin of black ones, it's that I don't want to have to repeatedly move hundreds of black plates out of the way to dig out one or two red ones.

Sorting is needed to decrease the time spent looking for parts, and to have a general overview of the contents of one's collection. So as long as sorting parts has this effect, then it's useful to do. When sorting further doesn't decrease lookup times or further increases this overview, it has no point (other than the fact that it's relaxing to do, which I find myself as well).

I think this is very true and finding that balance is a very personal decision. The same can be said for _how_ you choose to organize your collection, it needs to be in sync with your own creative process (or in the case of sorting for sorting's sake - your own level of OCD). For example, the bulk of my collection is sorted _first_ by color and then by family, then by shape. Technic parts, however, are different; function trumps color, especially when prototyping. For me, I don't see much point in obsessing over whether or not the red bushings are mixed in with the gray ones - I just don't want the wheels to fall off in the finished model.

Also all bins I use often have no lid - so I lose no time opening and closing them.

You must not have cats, or if you do, they must not be too interested in Lego. I often have to keep the lids on my trays while I'm actively using them because I have a cat who like to paw through the cups and chase loose pieces around the room

So I sort the parts according to how often I need them, how long it takes to find them, how long it takes to sort them, how enjoyable they are to sort and the number of bins I need at the same time when building. For example, Technic pins and axles I find personally annoying to sort. Quite recently I lumped all pins and axles in one big box and to be honest, I like it. Sorting takes less time, there is now one bin I always need instead of five bins I almost-always need, and the lookup times for pins and axles hasn't really gone up a lot, thanks to their color coding! In contrast, I also recently separated #15 Technic beams from the box that contained #7 up to #15 straight beams, as that helped me find #7 to #13 beams much quicker.

As I said before, I think it's really a question of what works for you based on one's own methods of work, the types of models one builds and the size of the collection. I remember mentioning to an AFOL I'd just met that my collection was largely sorted by color. He called it a "rookie mistake" and went off on a long lecture about the merits of sorting by shape. When I finally managed to get a word in edgewise, I managed to discover that I probably had more parts in sand yellow alone than he had in his entire collection and he was talking about the best way to sort a collection that fit in a single storage bin in the closet and hadn't even considered the idea of a collection that would overflow a hundred square feet of shelf-space.

It's always a trade-off between space, sort-time and seek-time with the goal of optimizing the things you do most often. One size almost never fits all when it comes to the question of how "best" to organize a collection. I've been doing this for nearly half a century now and I still don't have a system that works for me, my system today is better than it was ten or twenty years ago, but it's constantly evolving as my collection grows, my eyesight fails and my time gets over-subscribed.

In general, I think it really just comes down to realizing that there are better answers and worse answers, but no absolute "right" answer.

Edited October 6, 2014 by ShaydDeGrai

[Hobbythom]

I find sorting extremely relaxing, it is the part after sorting that dislike with a passion: the storing. I live in a small house and my Lego is stored underneath my bed in ziplock bags inside three rolling bins. I do my sorting on my dining table. So after I am done sorting I keep walking to and fro with zip lock bags, rolling bins and individual pieces. Aaaaargh. Can't wait for a bigger house with a dedicated hobbyroom.

[Andy D]

I have been doing a lot of thinking about this. I have come to a conclusion (while involved in my latest sort - build). My LEGO hobby is essentially a hobby of sorting parts. After sorting I determine what parts I have, I start to build, but during the building I find that I need to sort... Because I got too many parts out, so now I need to straighten up my build space so I can build more.

So my LEGO hobby is first sort, then build, and I am OK with that.

Andy D

[Danz4]

The fun of Lego is sorting the pieces into colour, shape and size. Then once I've done that, I need to find more pieces to sort :)

[SweetiePie88]

I do think many people over-sort. I have seen plenty of pictures of endless rows of boxes containing everything sorted into the tinyest detail. I am talking about people sorting #3 axles apart, then #4 axles apart, then #5 axles apart, and about people sorting red 1 x 2 plates apart, then black 1 x 2 plates apart, then gray plates 1 x 2 apart. And I wonder, why do people do that? Can't they tell a red plate from a black one during building, or can't they find an axle #4 if there are axles #3 and #5 in the same box?

Sorting is needed to decrease the time spent looking for parts, and to have a general overview of the contents of one's collection. So as long as sorting parts has this effect, then it's useful to do. When sorting further doesn't decrease lookup times or further increases this overview, it has no point (other than the fact that it's relaxing to do, which I find myself as well).

Also, sorting pieces in 10 bins that could go in one, means the time looking for bins increases. So my rule of thumb is, split a bin into two only if I have difficulty finding parts in it. Only then will it save time in the long run.

Also all bins I use often have no lid - so I lose no time opening and closing them.

So I sort the parts according to how often I need them, how long it takes to find them, how long it takes to sort them, how enjoyable they are to sort and the number of bins I need at the same time when building. For example, Technic pins and axles I find personally annoying to sort. Quite recently I lumped all pins and axles in one big box and to be honest, I like it. Sorting takes less time, there is now one bin I always need instead of five bins I almost-always need, and the lookup times for pins and axles hasn't really gone up a lot, thanks to their color coding! In contrast, I also recently separated #15 Technic beams from the box that contained #7 up to #15 straight beams, as that helped me find #7 to #13 beams much quicker.

as fas as buy color AND type, that tends to be a step for when you outgrow the size of container you have for a part and have to break it down or too many of a single color takes up space. Thats the case for me as far as as a specific size AND color part storage.

I had to do that to 1 x 2 and 2x2 beige tiles buts that's BC I have a small stockpile from the last time I went to a lego store. Got at least a couple handfuls each of those in the batch of grab bags I got. and b4 anyone says anything, yes the last time i was at a Lego store was when gb's still existed and that's b/c theres no Lego stores in my state. And I had to move my red and sand green tiles to a separate stack on drawer.

Could I put all the 2x2s in one container? Sure i could but I don't want to start hunting under a sea of beige, red, and sand green to find one of only a small handful of other colors I have. Could I put the 1x2s in with the tackle that I have my small 1x2ntile collection in? Sure I could if I want to have use up the only free spot big enough for the dark beige tiles that are stored separately.

As far as axles go, they are stored in four sections. One container for the three and larger and one for the half pin/half axle things(along with other pins) plus the 2'ers that are in my room and a couple sections in a plastic container that's upfront as part of my portable set up.

[KringlesBricks]

I am currently MOCing right now; but, I always go back to sorting when I struggl thinking through the next design stage on a current MOC. Sorting gives me an idea of what my part collection consists of, and re-triggers ideas of parts to incorporate into my MOC.

So, I do a lot of bouncing back and forth between sorting and MOC. Plus, sorting is fun and relaxing!