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What are proven methods to sort/categorize a large number of parts?
How would you recommend to sort your Lego parts? Finding a certain part in a box with parts of about 20 models takes ages.
Should I sort by color? Or by size? Another category?

get you brother/sister/cousin to sort them ;)

Worth a read: http://news.lugnet.com/storage/?n=707

Related: Has anyone automated the LEGO hand-sorting process beyond "pawing and piling"?

I think the correct approach to this is to consider the whole process and not just the sorting part, although the short answer "sort by form" will still be valid.
The whole process is not limited to sorting, but in a more general way goes from the moment you decide to store a part away to the moment when you retrieve it to put it in a model.
As such, you have to keep in mind your ultimate goal: find the part you need for the model you're currently building. Most of the time, you'll have a specific part in a specific color in mind, and need to find it as fast as possible. But not always! Sometimes you don't care what color the part is in (invisible support structure), or maybe you can't see it (blind kids). In most cases, the form is at least as important as color, but sometimes it's just color you're after.
So what is sorting? Sorting is a way to do some of the finding work in advance so that when you need that particular part, you don't have to waste too much time. You'll also win serious time on the sorting since you do it for a lot of parts at the same time.
Let's assume you're after a specific part in a specific color, which will be most of the time. So that means your parts have to be sorted both by color and by form. That may prove too impractical for normal people, but keep in mind some serious builders do that.
So the trick is since you have two sorting criteria, you use one at the moment of building, and the other when storing or sorting parts (with discipline1, you'll sort when storing). Usually, you'll want to do as much tedious work when sorting, so you'll keep the color-sorting for when you're building. Color-sorting is the fastest, just think of a tub with all red bricks of all sorts and find 5 1x1 bricks in it, then picture the same task from a tub full of 1x1 bricks of all colors.
Again, this depends on what you'll end up doing with the bricks; if you want to build a lot of 2-studs-wide uniform walls for example, maybe a tub with one color of 2xn bricks makes more sense than separating the 2x2, 2x3 in different color tubs.
In any case, keep in mind the ideal way is to have each part in each color stored separately. If this is impractical, consider mixing parts which have as little in common as possible. If one container holds 1x3 and 1x4 bricks together, it will be more trouble to pick them apart than if you mix 1x1 and 2x3. Or, maybe you can mix 2L Technic axles with 1x2 slopes.
And the last thing to consider is how many of the part you have. If you have 2000 blue 1x1 bricks, and only a few dozens of other colors, don't mix them. Separate the blue ones and the others, or better, separate the blue ones but keep a few mixed with the others, so that the nearly-2000 blue-only 1x1 bricks can go to long-term storage. Similarly, make sure that rare parts for which you only have a few are easy to find, even if that means they have to have their own storage bin (maybe they can be mixed together, though).

Awesome answer! Maybe you could add a bit about how LEGO themselves sort their bricks?

I wish I knew :-) The only designer workshop I've visited is the one in LEGOland Windsor. There they have huge drawers in their main office with one of each part in the drawer glue on a small baseplate on the front. I didn't see one open, but I suspect they are sorted by element AND color. In their stockroom, about every part is sorted similarly by element AND color; with huge boxes for common parts like bricks or plates while for smaller ones they have a gridlike arrangement of small open hobby boxes. Horizontal is shape, vertical is color (or the opposite, I don't remember for sure).

"mixing parts which have as little in common as possible" is a very good hint. Thank you!

Here also +1 for "mixing parts which have as little in common as possible". Especially makes sense for parts that are rare.

If you have a lot of unsorted lego, it isn't easy to apply a fully-developed categorisation system without a lot of work up-front. One way around this is to develop a sorting system gradually.

Exactly how you sort will depend on the size of your collection, the profile of your pieces, the time you have available and the categories that are convenient for you.

What not to do

As a general rule, don't bother sorting by color until you've already sorted by shape.

General notes

You'll probably have an "everything else" container for a while. Don't worry about it.
This is your collection - sort things in a way that is convenient for you and into categories that are convenient for you.
Think about how you'll use the bricks. Sort for use rather than because the categories are neat. For example, I keep some wheels on axels rather than separating them out because I usually want them that way when I'm building.

Starting off

It is often easier to sort out the big bits first because they're easiest to find.
Some things, like tangled cables and string, can really make things messy.

Get things out of the way:
 - Pull out the big baseboards
 - Pull out any cables, winches or anything else that is prone to tangling
 - Pull out any really big parts
 - Pull out any instructions, catalogues, etc.
Next steps

Develop some broad categories of things that tend to be used together. Whenever you come across anything that belongs in these categories, pull them out into a separate container. You don't have to sort all of the bricks in these categories at once - just pull them out whenever you find them.

Examples of major categories:
  - Technic
  - Electronics
  - Minifigs and their tools

As you go, pull out anything that really isn't lego:

Duplo
"Heretic" bricks (MegaBlocks etc.)
Other toys
Scraps of paper
Fluff, twigs etc.

Sort by shape

Stick similar parts together. Ignore color.

Make stacks of 2x2 bricks
Stick the round things together
Make stacks of plates. Offset the plates so they are easy to separate

Whenever you come across pairs of pieces (e.g. wheels and their tires, right and left-hand wings) stick them together. You'll probably need them as pairs when you're building.

Categorize by general purpose

Stuff for vehicles

Wheels and axels
Windshields
Wheel arches

Stuff for buildings

Doors and windows
Fences

Train stuff
Boat stuff

Categorise by general shape

Big bricks
Slopes
Round bricks
Arches
Plates
1x? bricks
2x? bricks
Hinges and turntables

Sort strictly by shape

1x1 bricks

Finally, sort by color
Where you have a lot of bricks the same shape, sort by color as well.

1x1 yellow bricks

"Heretic" bricks (MegaBlocks etc.)
:)

First group by fit. So you put for example normal bricks on one stack, those technic bricks with holes on another and so on. Then start grouping the different sizes of your bricks like 7 long bars with holes, 9 long bars with holes and so on. I never sorted by color, but after the last step, if you have still to big stacks, you should do that.

A pigeon hole drop panel connected to the rear of a rack of pullout storage trays is a proven way to sort small parts. Just toss your bit into the correct slot and collect the sorted pieces from down below. I haven't seen one built specificly for LEGO elements, but the idea is sound. It would work great in a studio situation where large sorts, frequent model breakdowns, and bulk element storage are part of the routine.

@DVK I'm glad you enjoyed the image. I thought it was fairly spectacular. Now, at SQB's suggestion, I'm contemplating building one. The jury is still out.


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Is there anything like a 'recipe generator' for LEGO models?
For me, most of the fun of LEGO toys, is building new things from the instructions. Rebuilding things can be fun, but if I know I have certain bricks (or even sets), is there somewhere to cross-reference these with the content of other constructions/sets (official or otherwise)?

I would love to work on that algorithm.

Yes there is! Rebrickable.com is dedicated entirely to doing so. You can save time and import your LEGO collection from Brickset.com (If you have an account). The site will then search for other sets and MOCs you can build from the bricks you have in your collection.

If you want to know if you can build a certain set with the parts you have, you can have a look at set inventories on Peeron or BrickLink
You can also even enter a list of your own parts on Peeron and have it check it against existing sets, thus letting you know what you can build, or what you need to buy to build the set you want.

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Is there virtual LEGO designing software?

Possible Duplicate:
Do any programs exist that allow you to build own LEGO plans?

Some years ago, there was a really good program to build models from LEGO. But today I can't find it. Do you know such software which runs on a Linux machine?

The LEGO Digital Designer that was the client/creation part of DesignByMe is Windows or Mac only.
This is regularly updated with the latest sets of parts available through Pick a Brick and similar tools.
It allows you to print off building instructions, or upload your creations to the LEGO site.
Previously, you were able to order a boxed set of your model for yourself, friends or family, however The LEGO Group discontinued this service in January 2012.

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How are LEGO sets designed?
I've often wondered how it is that LEGO goes about creating new sets. I can easily imagine a person sitting in a room all day with unlimited pieces of every shape but with some of the complicated sets we see these days there must be some sort of computer aid.
Do the designers model new sets on a computer which then figures out pieces and instructions or do they do build and tweak until things seem just right?
Can anyone provide insight into the process that LEGO takes on creating new sets?

This Gizmodo post covers the manufacturing process. (unrelated, but cool)

Have you heard of LDD? There are also other alternatives, such as LDraw. Also, check out LEGO Cuusoo - they are making us do the work for them! Clever.

I once had an acquaintance who worked at Lego as a product designer (I don't remember his exact title). His job was, simply put, to come up with new sets. There are some general constraints – balancing the different Lego worlds/themes (contemporary, pirate-age, Star Wars, Harry Potter, etc.), hitting certain price points/box sizes (limiting the number of bricks in a set), coming up with sets that work well together, targeting different age groups/motor skills etc.
LEGO also tries to design the individual pieces to be used in many settings. The same terrain/foundation was used with different paint for the anti-pirate fortress (which my sister had) and the dragon knights castle (which I had). In the old days it was fairly rare for Lego to make new brick types – it has become less so, as their manufacturing processes have become more nimble and less expensive.
As for the software used in designing LEGO sets, I know little about it. They do use software/brick simulation, but also work with the physical bricks, especially the old hands :)

Why is it less expensive? Lego almost went bankrupt from inventing too many new parts in 2005.

I have a hard time believing any manufacturing process, even if kept primarily in European countries as LEGO has done, has not become cheaper and more flexible between 1940 and 2011.

There's a lot of efficiencies from new technologies – more precise, computer powered tools, less labour costs from using robotics for certain tasks – and I don’t think it was the creating of new parts themselves that brought them close to ruin, more the fact that they couldn’t sell them and burned a mountain of cash marketing failed products. Remember Galidor, Clikits?

3D printing for prototypes probably helps reduce costs too, as real molds only need to be created for final version of parts.

As far as I know, designers work mostly with bricks only.
They do have a desk and a quasi-unlimited supply of parts (which I think is actually not too exactly close to their desks), and usually use their imagination the same way a fan does.
Something which fans don't do however, and which designers must do, is keep track of the price of the model they're building so that it's in line with the expected price point (these are determined by marketing when a theme is started).
This is much more complicated than it sounds, because element prices aren't always logical (for example, a Technic axle 5 is cheaper than a 4), and the number of different elements counts too (that's why sometimes they use other parts than what would be logical, such as a 1×2 brick with groove when the groove has no purpose whatsoever at that place, but since the brick is already included elsewhere and a regular 1×2 isn't, it's cheaper to use).
In short, all production costs are taken into account, including packaging and so on. Of course, for parts which aren't produced yet, the prices is much higher, but how higher depend on a lot of factors (whether the part exists but not in that color, whether the parts fit well in the system, and so on). Design teams may also want to bargain with other teams to have them support the cost development of a new part. Licensed themes may have a different cost structure because the licensees are sometimes willing to pay for a new part if it makes the model more realistic (most good hairdos come from licenses nowadays).
Once the designer has a model ready (it'll undergo quite a few tweaks along the way, of course), they'll hand it to another team which will be responsible for making sure the model can be built by kids, and possibly tweak it some more to make the instructions clearer (ever noticed why some hidden bricks have sometimes unexpected colors?). These guys do use computers, and they'll make the instructions as well; but in the meantime the designers are busy on their next model.

What is your source for the answer? First hand experience?

Not first hand per se as I'm not a designer myself, but this information is gathered from conversations with some designers, and with people who attended fan workshops in Billund. The only thing I can't really remember having been told explicitely is the bargaining between teams; but it's true that the cost of a new element has to be supported once only. Again, elements which fit better within the system will be more readily accepted for production anyway.

You may also want to read designer Mark Stafford's interview which provides a lot of insight on this as well - including the reason why the Technic axle 4 is more expensive.

When Jamie Berard came to Brick Fiesta in Houston in 2012, he mentioned the bargaining between teams. This was demonstrated in part by one of the prototypes had the conical hat for the wheel covers for the latest incarnation of the Sopwith Camel (10226).

This seems about right from a talk I attended recently about the design of a Nexo Knights set (http://brickset.com/article/18161/70315-clay-s-rumble-blade-prototypes). Process was roughly: take ideas for a set, go into the vaults, pick parts currently in production, build, iterate. Multiple designers may work on a set, more than one prototype can be considered concurrently - final design incorporates ideas from each. Play features, ease of building, cost factor in. New parts are 3D printed (often overnight). TV shows / computer games get late but not final renderings of the IP to incorporate.

I thoroughly enjoyed National Geographic's documentary - Megafactories - LEGO:

It's one of the most popular construction toys in the world. In the age of unprecedented competition for their attention - from videogames to TVs to countless activities - children still spend over 5 billion hours a year playing with LEGO bricks. But building simple modular toys with interlocking bricks is a lot more complex than it seems. Their most popular set - the police station - is completely redesigned every few years to keep up with the times. From R&D and engineering to robotic assembly lines and the most fickle test market on the planet, Mega Factories: LEGO takes you behind the scenes as a real life police station turns into a playground for the imagination.

Mega factories - gotta love the irony...

"This video has been removed by the user. Sorry about that."

There are a series of youtube videos about LEGO Cars set design process. They are kinda simplified and targeted at kids, but still have some good insights in process.
First video can be found here.
Playlist of all 6 videos somebody have assembled.

It is actually super complex. They first start by tinkering, when they have an idea. Then they start building. When they have the object built, they rebuild it step by step, gluing each step to a board. Then a device scans the boards for changes, makes the instructions, and calculates part count. Or at least that is how they used do it.
How do I know this? I read it in a book by 2 former Lego designers. Called Forbidden Lego, you can look it up on Amazon and preview the pages where it has the info.

I have some doubts about the gluing and scanning part, to be honest - as I understand, designers will indeed first make their model with actual bricks, going through several iterations depending on unknown factors (cost, target audience, marketing, whatever); but I believe they'll make a digital version of it (with what I suppose is some in-house software similar to an LDraw editor) when they hand it over for the next steps. That said, since Ulrik Pilegaard stopped working for LEGO in 2004, it's possible the method has changed and they did in fact work the way you say back then.

@joubarc Thank you for your comment, I do realize that they most likely do it a different way. Thats why I had included 'at least that is how they used to do it'. However, that being said, I will edit the post and include another line explaining how this way is most likely not in use anymore.

This is what the official website describes:

Our designers in Denmark create and test new LEGO® sets, toys and
  themes every day. We work hard to make sure our toys are surprising,
  fun and can be passed down for generations!
First, we come up with the idea for an exciting new theme, like LEGO®
  Elves, or a new series within an existing theme, like LEGO® City
  Volcano Explorers. Then the design team works on coming up with
  different sized sets with loads of cool features that will appeal to a
  wide range of LEGO® fans.
Once they’ve figured out what kind of sets are the right ones, they’ll
  build those ideas using existing pieces, and sometimes design new
  LEGO® pieces when necessary. We do lots of testing to make sure the
  sets are fun to build and play with and can stay together when they’re
  flying or driving around.
Then, it’s on to designing the instructions, working out what sort of
  boxes the sets will need to go in, and determining what pictures will
  be on the packaging. Finally, we ship the finished sets off to all the
  stores!

https://www.lego.com/en-us/service/help/fun-for-fans/more-about-us/how-we-design-lego-sets-408100000008835

Do the designers model new sets on a computer which then figures out pieces and instructions or do they do build and tweak until things seem just right?

As I understand it, their modern process is a mix of both real-life and digital building. Building a physical model is important for testing durability and such, while digital building is helpful for quickly testing different color schemes.
For digital building, LEGO uses their own in-house Easy Builder Tool which is an Autodesk Maya plugin. From what I understand, LEGO Digital Designer is somewhat based on this tool, except it doesn't use Maya and the parts have reduced resolution.

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What are these Technic "Zapfen" ("stoppers") called in English?

What are these pieces called in English? Google translator doesn't help in this case...

The LEGO Pick A Brick store lists them as connector pegs (or, more simply, pegs) although they are more commonly known as pins in the fan community1.
The black ones have added friction for holding things together, while the light gray and beige ones are smoother and allow pieces to rotate, for example tires or beams.

1 BrickLink, Peeron

I can't bring myself to edit this, so I'll just critique. I have more often seen those refered to as "pins" than "pegs". Just a suggestion.

LDraw uses "pin" consistently, which is why it's more used by fans, but LEGO does indeed call them pegs (with less consistency, considering the 1 1/2 is a "bush")

@Joubarc: Ah, I was wondering where the term "pin" came from.

At the time LDraw was started, internal LEGO names weren't publicly available, so James Jessiman had to start from scratch. I feel that he, and the ones who continued to expand LDraw after him, have done a way better job than LEGO; but on the other hand LEGO had no real reason to use an English-coherent naming scheme.


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What is the name of the Lego product that snaps together with knobs?
I remember owning a very strange Lego set, but have forgotten the name.
The pieces were similar to Technic parts, but different. They were green rounded frames and connected using purple squares with knobs. I do not recall them being able to directly connect to classic Lego bricks.
The set I owned was some sort of space ship. It came with a motor that made parts of it spin.
Any ideas?

Have any idea as to when that set came out?

I ended up finding my old instruction book. The parts were called Lego Znap.

It still blows my mind that these things exist.

No spaceships and no relation to TECHNIC? If this was the answer you wanted, the question should have had better clues.

@Dori, the holes in the beams do suggest a Technic aesthetic, though not compatibility.

What do you mean no relation to Technic? These holes are Technic holes in their own right; plus, they did even use the same motor, which made it a very cost-efficient way to get some when LEGO ditched ZNAP altogether. Sadly, these were usually the bad batch of motors.

@Dori I had forgotten most of the details since I haven't heard about it in 10 years.

Are you thinking of the BIONICLE line?

BIONICLE was a theme with series of sets using some of the TECHNIC pieces created by LEGO in 2001 to 2010. It is usually attributed to the TECHNIC line due to the inclusion of TECHNIC specific elements and building-styles although being a largely independent product series.
  — BIONICLE - Brickipedia, the LEGO Wiki

I don't recall any Bionicle spaceships, but who knows?

@PeterDC The second to last year of Bionicle actually had three models that could be called spaceships (and were actually my favorite sets of the entire series): 8942 Jetrax T6, 8941 Roctoh T3, and 8943 Axalara T9.


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What are the best LEGO storage options?
I have several Lego sets and I usually build them and then make them small enough so they fit back in the box for long term storage . . . but my dream is that I can take apart my model and organize the parts and just keep the books so I can put them back together again later.
(I read you can get the books as PDF's from the official site now . . . I need to try that out.)
I figure I could use some sort of plastic organizers from IKEA or something. What methods have you used? Do you store them by size and color or just dump them all into bins and let the creativity happen?

I remember a funny article on this which shows how someone sorted their LEGOs as their collection grew over the decades... I'll see if I can find it.

What, a closet with no temperature-control whatsoever?

@muntoo this lugnet article may be what you are looking for. I just read it again, it's really worth it.

@Joubarc Yes, that was it!

I prefer what I call the "block" method. You can get to almost every piece in less than 3 steps.

I was inspired by this: http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/efficientlego

I guess you could have a few 'blocks', but if you want a large number of one type of piece, it will be best to have most of your LEGO sorted by piece type. When you need more 'blocks', just build them. (Maybe have a LEGO Mindstorms Robot help you sort...? ;))

Lots of great options here but this is the one that really made me think. I stacked the small parts like this AND THEN put them in a storage bin as described in other questions.

I love this idea, specially because it can be mixed and matched with regular "bag of legos", organizing just the ones that are smaller and harder to find. Also, I found the Flickr set for all of the original author images: https://www.flickr.com/photos/oskay/albums/72157603604216252

I'm a big fan of Simon Sheehan's answer, and use a bunch of those myself for a lot of those small "technic" LEGO pieces.
But once your collection grows too big, it's time to dedicate a wall to your collection:

I find these at Global Industrial Supply:

These clear tilt-out storage bins are stackable and sturdy and just about perfect to catalog your pieces by shape.  Easy to find (for the most part) because you see the pieces.  Sorting by color is not worth the effort-- too many colors.
The one thing they are NOT good for are large base plates.
Some of the standard 4-2 bricks, 4-1 bricks, 2-2 bricks are too plentiful, in which case I just have a simple plastic pullout drawer for those.
Something like this from the Container Store:

I've recently purchased quite a few of these tip-out bins from Global, and they are VERY nice. I feel they are worth the extra money - great for small bits and specialized pieces. They are easily stackable and have holes on the back for mounting.

I took all my blocks out and layed them out on a table. This took a few days actually. From there I purchased a plastic storage container from an IKEA type location, that had multiple bins that slid in. It looked a lot like this:

They are intended for crafts, but Lego is a craft too! From there I sorted it like so:

2x2 bricks
4x4 bricks
Flat pieces
Large items (Trains, road pieces, etc.)
Bricks larger than 5x5
Bricks larger than 10x10.
Specialty parts (Airplane wings, etc)

It really bottles down to what YOU want. Take an inventory of what pieces you have - whatever you have a large number of, fill a container with an appropriately sized bin for that many pieces.

My only issue with the drawers is that I've knocked those over and had to resort the contents before! Could be a good option if I connect it to a table or something!

@tooshel Perhaps you could get ones that do not actually come completely out.

I hate these things with a vengeance. You're constantly opening and closing drawers since the thing becomes unstable with more than one open at a time. Good for screws, not for Lego bricks.

I've used those stack-able organizer cases for years.  They are great for storage and access to the parts is a lot easier than in drawers.  Another big advantage over the drawer-organizers is how easy they are to transport.

You might have noticed that they are now empty.  That's because my kids are now 7 and I've decided to mix my Lego blocks with theirs (they get a lot more usage now).  Of course young kids and neat organization doesn't mix very well so I've reverted to the good old bins on the floor.  I prefer the big clear plastic ones with rollers underneath.  We can roll them under the futon when it's not in use.

I love the sound of bricks when we're all digging around.

When using big bins, use big, low ones. Good advise, and that one one of the less efficient methoed!

That yellow organizer case you have on the right in the top picture, that seems to be a nice thing. It appears that you can re-organize the sections in it. Do you mind posting the URL of that or something similar? Thanks.

I got this at a renovation centre.  Google this: Stanley 17-Compartment Small Parts Storage Organizer

These bins would work well.  Others have mentioned children and these would work well especially for kids. (This one can be found on Amazon here.)

Adults could use this kind also or go for an industrial looking version like this:

(This one can be found here.)

Those wall-mounted plastic bins in the second example are actually used in professional LEGO model workshops. They're hard wearing and very easy to use but they can also be very pricey!

An old bed-sheet can be used to create a sack that both stores the Lego bricks and doubles as a play mat. As a child, this is how my parents stored our Lego and it meant we never had a difficult task when it came time to pack it away.
The only downsides are that some bricks can be hard to find against the sheet (depending on colour) and there's zero organisation.

An honourable mention should go to the forthcoming IKEA / LEGO joint storage solution - BYGGLEK
These will arrive in store in October 2020, and consist of plastic boxes in various sizes, with a studded top, and 'label' in front.
Details on the IKEA US website
More details on the IKEA Deutschland page

I sort my bricks by type. Common bricks, plates like 2x3, 2x4 or 2x2x4,2x2x6 go in big IKEA boxes (800.892.39) and all other parts go in boxes with dividers (Lunar Box, not sure about the manufacturer). Body parts and accessories are stored in big IKEA boxes too.

My approach on the cheap side. I use small transparent containers left from food for small items and  transparent plastic bags. If container is full than this type goes to a bag. Put them all to big IKEA type containers.
Sorted by type mostly (not color), about 20 types:
1) 1xX bricks 6 units high (normal)
2) 1xX bricks 2 units high (low)
3) 2xX bricks 6 units high (normal)
4) 2xX bricks 2 units high (low)
5) plates square all sizes
6) pins technic
7) axles
8) rounded bricks
9) wheels and related
10) rear and related
11) bricks with prints and pictures
12) windows, doors, etc.
13) minifigures
14) decorations
15 +) ... etc.


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What is inside the "weight element" brick?
I own a few bricks that contain a weight inside of them. 52g according to Lego.

What exactly is inside of these bricks that makes them heavy?

Are you talking about these lego train weight parts ?

I did the unthinkable!  ...I had to know.
I opened one of my two weighted bricks.  One of the two ends has a glued on cap that I've cut around using an utility knife.

The piece of metal it contains fit almost perfectly in the cavity.  I don't know metals but it has a rainbowish kind of sheen to it.  Here's a close up:

I'm now gluing it back with super glue.

+1, for defacing a LEGO brick to provide an answer. I imagine you could weigh it to find it's mass.

Since when is defacing a LEGO brick worth +1? Heretic!

Makes sense that these would be galvanized steel since they were often used to balance the floating boats (e.g. 314, 4005, 4010, 4025, etc.) and could be reasonably expected to get wet and rust leaking out of the brick would look weird.

I literally gasped when I saw this.

I don't know whether to upvote this answer for being correct, or downvote for cutting lego bricks apart. This sort of experiment would never get past the ethics panel in my household.

I have one that had been opening itself by the side for like... forever. And I didn't use any violent mean for it to reveal its shiny insides. Note that the side can be clipped back. I thus always thought that this was meant to be possible to open/close this container.

I did this back in the mid 90s because I too had to know. Now that we all know, I wonder if you could replace it with something even heavier. Are there any safe denser metals that aren't too expensive? A lead alloy maybe? Just under 2 ounces isn't all that much weight.

@l008com Go for tungsten. Almost twice as heavy as lead without the health hazards

I had two of these bricks in red, one is broken (one of the side-caps dropped off): there's just a piece of galvanized iron/steel in it.
My blocks were bought about 19 years ago, so maybe they changed the weight to an other/cheaper material in the meantime, but I don't think so.

This seems like it's correct. I'm going to do what Zhaph said and test it with a magnet.

i'm not 100% sure it's iron/steel, but it pretty much looks like because it's galvanized, wich won't make much sense on other metals. i'm looking forward to the results of your magnet-test.

I'm fairly sure it's one or two pieces of iron, but I would need to check with someone who actually opened one. You can easily check that it's a ferrous metal if it attracts magnets.

Non-ferrous metals aren't magnetic... so a lack of attraction doesn't rule out the possibility of a metal being used ;)

Indeed, I oversimplified it, I guess I'll edit that in. But magnetic attraction will confirm it's a ferrous metal, and since I was pretty sure it's iron (as confirmed by oezi), I didn't want to bother thinking about other metals.

Lego magnets stick to them just fine.  It takes two magnets to lift one brick.


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LEGO cleaning techniques and tools
Previously I've used toothbrushes but maybe these would eventually scratch the surface. What have you used? And was it easy?
As well as cleaning, what about drying and buffing? Has anyone tried polishing LEGO bricks?

For drying, I've used a salad spinner to remove the excess moisture:

LEGO recommends using a mild detergent in water to clean your bricks, or a mild bleach:

We recommend that you clean or wash your LEGO parts only by hand at max. 40°C or 104 degrees (F) Fahrenheit. Higher temperatures may affect the quality of the LEGO parts. You can add a mild detergent to the water, followed by rinsing with clear water. Please don't put your bricks in the washing machine or dishwasher or attempt to dry them in ovens, microwaves or with hair dryers. Any electrical parts, such as cables, motors, battery compartments, can only be wiped off with alcohol. Air-dry parts at room temperature. For disinfecting please use mild bleach.

After maybe 50 loads in the washing machine (over 200k elements), I have to say it's a good risk-free option, and not worth the bother of manual wash. Just make sure to: don't go over 1/2 the max load, wash at max. 30°C (warmer will damage older bricks, mostly blue and red in my case, most likely produced in the 70s), use at least 2 mesh bags (the cheap 1$ ones are ok, S/M size - don't overfill or use bigger bags as the zipper will fail under the weight), don't go over 800 rpm with the final dry cycle, and for less noise just throw in there some towels or old t-shirts.

Where is the data showing the decrease in LEGO quality after machine cleaning? After an extremely successful experiment using a washing machine (strong pillowcase, 40°C, 600 rpm, liquid detergent), I support the comment of @RazvanZoitanu. I challenge LEGO to publish a scientific article showing why these conditions are inappropriate. Or is the "hand-clean" recommendation just a way to discourage LEGO resale/reuse, and encourage fresh sales?

@MarkTeese I think it's easier for TLG to just write "We don't recommend it" than get into the details of how you might go about it. It's clear that if you take suitable precautions it should be fine - but putting all the caveats in place just make it harder for them to back up any legal challenge if something goes wrong. Similar to why many clothes these days might say "Don't tumble dry" when they are the same as others that allow it - more likely a cost saving around either returns from shrinkage or not having to test.

Continuing: The issues are around: Heat regulation (most dishwashers don't have a below 40°C setting, or get too hot during the drying phase which can't be skipped), bashing together (did you remember to turn the spin cycle down/off), depending on what you're washing (just bricks and plates, or the tiny accessories) is the seal on the bag secure enough to stop parts falling out and getting lost in the machines. Due to ABS's low heat tolerance and TLGs strict quality control limits, it's clearly easier for them to say "just wash by hand".

According to the LEGO Customer Service (click "Customer Service > Help Topics > Bricks & Building > Brick Facts > Cleaning your LEGO® bricks"):

We recommend that you clean your LEGO® parts by hand using water no hotter than 104°F / 40°C and a soft cloth or sponge. Higher temperatures may affect the quality of the parts. You can add a mild detergent to the water - please rinse them well with clear water afterwards and you're done!
Please don't put your LEGO® pieces in the washing machine or dishwasher, and don't try to dry them in the oven, the microwave or with a hair dryer. When the bricks get really hot they may change shape, which means they won't work anymore!

So the best way to wash all your bricks at once, is to put them into a big bowl, a sink or your bathtub. Add warm water (< 40°C), soap/mild detergent and wash them by hand. Rinse in another bowl of clear water. Spread the bricks on a towel and let them air dry.
This should be enough to remove dust and loose dirt. For harder grime like stickers or glue-rests there already is another question that might also be helpful:

pure alcohol or
glass cleaner
cheap hairspray (spray 2-3 seconds from very close distance and then rub of with a piece of cloth) sometimes also does a good job

Compressed air

Compressed air, commonly used for electronic equipment. Sold in cans at office and electronic stores, used to blow away dust and other small particles away. A paint brush is cheaper but can clear dust from a more localised area. It helps to have a brand new brush that has never been used.
I use compressed air and paint brushes interchangeably when taking pictures of Lego at Minifigure eye-level where dust is more prominent.

A "rocket blower" is also a suitable option for blowing dust off models, and is a more sustainable option.

Put them in a pillowcase and wash them in the washer on 30 degrees celsius.

I've done this a dozen times the last fortnight, works well. Don't put in tumble dryer after though, as the paint scratches onto other bricks and ruins them. Airing cupboard overnight works well.

Whatever you do, don't put them in a bath along with small children.  It could be that the bathplug gets lifted and then a piece gets sucked into the plug hole.  With that piece blocking your ability to put the plug back in the hole, more pieces will be sucked in.  Panic will ensue.  Small pieces will be swept down the drain, large pieces will continue blocking the hole, water will continue rushing out.  Blocking the hole with your hands and fingers won't work.  While sweeping the blocking pieces away, new blocking pieces will be sucked in.  Those small pieces may be a large number of extremely rare and valuable minifig hands, weapons and utensils. They will not be caught in the S-bend, not with that kind of water velocity.
True story.  Just happened tonight.
You could try blocking the hole with a towel or something, to stop the rushing water.  That's what I should have done.

one of those mesh drain covers that minimizes hair and other small objects from going down the drain could possibly help...but still a risk of something going wrong

I have polished Lego to restore the shine. Bite marks cannot be removed, so don't bother. Most scratches can either be removed or made much less noticable. Be careful not to be too vigourous in your polishing as the sharp, crisp clean edges of a pristine brick can easily be rounded by an over-zealous polisher. I use a simple buffing wheel w/ a felt (or is it cotton?) wheel,as well as buffing compound.
Increasingly I have done only a light polishing, as I find an overly aggressive approach only results in an unrealistic looking shine that is no longer authentic.

I've had good results with the gentle application of 800 wet and dry paper, followed up with T-Cut (car colour restorer).

Soak them in a bath of hot soapy water, dry as best you can, then leave open to dry thoroughly (a couple of days).

For difficult, stubborn dirt and er, stuff, in corners and hard to reach places, I use wooden tooth picks. They're also particularly good for getting dirt from between the letters of the Lego logo on studs. Also, cocktail sticks.

I use an ultrasonic cleaner, with either just water or a little washing up liquid. I have also used dishwasher tablets, but this can leave residue on the elements which kinda defeats the purpose of the exercise. I use cold water because the ultrasonic bath heats the water anyway. The benefit of the cleaner is it can clean all nooks and crannies without special tools and it does a very good job. The downside is most ultrasonic cleaners are small so you can't clean large amounts quickly..

Some years ago I picked up some second hand LEGO and DUPLO bricks for the kids that was very dirty and grubby and in a general condition that you would not want your kids playing with. The best method I found was to put the items in the bathtub (With the exception of very small pieces that will disappear down the plughole - Put them in a bowl) and spray them with Cif (Jif) lemon bathroom Mouse or similar. Leave for about 10 minutes then Brush using a nylon washing up brush, nail brush or similar. You will be surprised what comes off! Then simply hose off with the showerhead. Then transfer the bricks onto a bathroom towel and dry leave to dry overnight in the airing cupboard, or drape the towel over a radiator and place the bricks on the towel.Biro pen marks can be removed by wiping with methylated spirits and a tissue. Sticky tape residue can be removed with WD40, but then the wd40 need to be remove with a detergent. Hope this helps someone!

I've tried and tested cleaning techniques for different levels of dirt/discoloration.
For dusty and grimny bricks: wash bricks using a non-soap cleaner, use a soft bristle brush to reach stud edges.
If bricks are discolored, follow the steps in the link below. It does work but care is needed so as not to let the bricks return to its discolored state.
http://phlug.net/2014/03/lego-whitening-by-luarni-aemes-tan-sim/

My wife and I have been cleaning up my son's LEGO collection since last week, we clean a small box every noon, since it's a boring task :). We just use a pair of used toothbrushes, pour LEGO parts into a big tub of water mixed with a little dish washing liquid. Then put all them into a washing bag and hang somewhere until they're dry, of course, keep them out of sunlight.

A toothbrush and a cleaning product that has micro-particles (I use a product called Jif), then to really brighten things up and restore the original color I put in a tub of water with some hydrogen peroxide (can buy from chemists, check directions for dilution) and leave in the sun for 3 hours (cloud is ok too), then rinse. My 1970s yellowing bricks and baseplates look amazing after this.

The way I've been washing my Duplo and regular Lego blocks is to fill a clean kitchen sink (or dishpan, storage tub, whatever) with a 50/50ish mixture of hot water (hottest the tap can provide) and white vinegar, then add the blocks.  I mix the really hot water and the vinegar together before adding the Legos because that guarantees that the temperature won't be above 104F.  If anything is particularly soiled, I use the soft (ie non-scrub-pad) side of a clean sponge to give the blocks a gentle scrubbing as they soak in the warm vinegar water; for anything stuck in difficult-to-clean crevices, I use a baby bottle brush and/or q-tips.
I soak them for a few hours or possibly overnight, then scoop them into a large salad spinner, rinse them thoroughly with warm-to-hot water using the spinner as a colander, spin as much water as I can out and then lay them out on towels to dry (inside, with a box fan blowing across them, flipping them over every few hours until they're totally dry).
Vinegar cleans and disinfects, plus it removes odors (for example, if you buy used Legos online that arrive smelling like cigarette smoke) and it doesn't leave a residue.  On top of that, it's 100% kid safe (and pet safe, for any weirdos out there like me who build Lego and/or Duplo creations for small animals :P).

I've used a bowl with warm water and washing liquid (Fairly clean and fresh), and my bricks were clean (clean for my measures). I use this method every time I need to clean my bricks, so I recommend this method.

There was a link floating around the usual sites a few years back that suggested that you could use a paste made with oxygen bleach and a few hours in the sun to whiten yellowed pieces of old LEGO.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/


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How do you plan large structures for easy and safe transport to shows?
Imagine I am building a large display that will cover many square feet and have both tall buildings and lots of small details. What are some techniques for making these things modular? Is it safer to disassemble partially or plan to carry displays whole? What do the builders and clubs at shows do to transport large layouts?

LEGO does glue its own big display structures, but no self-respecting fans would do that.

Compartmentalise
I wouldn't recommend transporting anything larger than a 32x32 stud baseplate. Use Technic pins and 1x2 bricks to connect parts of your model in the same way as the Modular Sets have done. The technique works well for buildings, planes, boats and just about any kind of large model.

Transport
Remove as many small parts likely to fall off in transportation as you possibly can and place them in a sealed plastic bag or other suitable container. Place the rest of the model with the extra parts in a cardboard/plastic box. The box is essential for catching any other fragile pieces that fall off the model. You may also use bubble wrap or tissue paper to pad the box as much as you can.
Once your Lego model has completed it's journey allow yourself some time to fix inevitable damage.
Collapsible Structures
This is a fairly novel idea, which I haven't seen done before. Flickr user Legozilla has built a model that is specifically designed with transport in mind.
This particular design is unlikely to be damaged in transport. The flatpacked version of this model is significanly more space spacing compared to its 'built state' where it's volume is probably 90% air.

Occasionally, we need to fill in a spot in a display because a member
  needs to be late to a show or some other circumstance. To meet that
  need, I have a couple of buildings that I tote around to fill such a
  gap. This set of buildings is modular, and collapsible so that it's
  easy to transport and flexible enough to fit in most corners of a
  layout. It's also fun to fold and unfold just to watch people's
  reaction.

On very large structures, too much pins might make it harder to assemble - so don't put too many of them. You can also use technic axles for a less tight connection. This is especially important if the display tables you have to put your models on are not properly aligned. Sometimes, you can use no connection altogether and just lay your modules next to one another. You'll see small gaps, but it makes the job of assembling/disassembling way easier.

Note that you will probably need to de-greeble your models first. Small parts that fall off are annoying, and there's few things worse than finding a sea of small parts in the bottom of your shipping box. A collection of photos designed to help with reassembly is likely to be helpful, and will be essential if you want to accept offers of help with the reassembly.
I tend to ship the more fragile sub-assemblies in dedicated shipping boxes with a foam cut-out shaped to hold them. Rather than plastic wrap I use plastic bags. The bag is just there to keep foam and Lego separated (finding a 1x1 tile among 6-8 pieces of foam is annoying). Try to keep your boxes all the same size and shape, or multiples theerof, so they're easier to pack. The way Lego does :)
A useful variation on Ambo100's folding building that I've seen once, was an invertable building. The extremely detailed front wall was removable, and the inside built so that it could be flipped round to have all the detailed bits on the inside. That way most of the "outside" when shipping was reasonably solid, planar surfaces.
I build Technic, so my constraints are different, but the other technique I expect to use shortly is custom plywood boxes and platforms. For a metre-square model I will build a platform to hold it, then make walls and a lid that can be attached either above or below the model. One way up it's boxed for transport, the other way it's got its own table for display. With a little care I hope to make the base exactly 6 bricks high, so if it needs to go on a table with other models it will be relatively easy to get the height right.

Modularize, modularize, modularize! If you are putting models in a train show or similar, think about building large models so that they can conveniently be broken down into modules of no larger than 32x32 studs.

You can use "Saran" wrap to gently wrap some models. It keeps the parts from falling to the wayside, but doesn't neccesarily keep the models intact during transit. Even if you box it up as well, there is always a good chance you'll need to touch up any thing you build then move.

I generally agree with the compartmentalization and disassembly for transport  and the need for sealed transport containers already put forth.  Some additional ideas that I find helpful:
I like to have a solid base for my creations and if I'm unsure of the tables available at the display site, I like to have a precut plywood piece to go under my build to allow some greater control.
Take photos and bring them with you to assist in reassembly.  Or more over the top you can have your entire creation modeled in LDraw or similar software and bring a laptop with you.  Pictures can really help to check and make sure everything survived the move intact and has been reassembled correctly, especially if you have assistants who might not be as familiar with the build as you, or if you find a loose pieces and are trying to figure out where they go.
If there are specific pieces that you know are problematic, bring some extra pieces in a separate container for that last minute fix.


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What are the characteristics of "Miniland" scale?
I have heard many references to "Miniland" scale. From what I have seen, this style of building mostly includes figurines that are larger than normal mini-figs.
What are some other characteristics of "Miniland" scale?

Mini style {used in LEGO sets and by collectors, not Miniland}
Mini scale/style is typically much smaller than normal LEGO. In Mini scale/style, figures are formed with 2-3 blocks.
Mini scale/style {if I remember correctly} didn't gain popularity until recently. It's so far been popularly used in the LEGO Architecture sets, and in a few others of common landmarks.
It's also common to see three-to-five-dollar packages that contain buildable models {sold in the LEGO stores} in the Mini scale/style.
Examples of Mini sets include:

4837 Mini Trains
5761 Mini Digger
5864 Mini Helicopter

Miniland style {used by Legoland amusement parks and a few LEGO sets}
I believe that the LEGO amusement parks use something close to miniland scale. It is, however, much different than normal Mini style/scale. One notable fact is that the people have larger heads. I know this is true for the one in Billund, but I'm not sure about the one in California.
Here and here are the pages of Minilands Billund and California, respectively. The Billund miniland doesn't have its' own page, but it's on the interactive map at the link provided.
A Miniland Flickr group is here if you want to see what Miniland style/scale is.
EDIT! As Zhaph-Ben Duguid pointed out, the Legoland amusement parks are called Miniland, but do not use the Mini scale/style. They use a strange hybrid between DUPLO and LEGO Mini scale/style. It is actually not the more common Mini style/scale used in sets. I've updated this answer to reflect that.

I'd suggest that Miniland is larger than standard LEGO - the figure's heads in the Minilands at the parks are made of a number of bricks alone - and are larger than minifig heads.

The Lego parks had the term Miniland first; can you cite its use outside the parks?

I too would like a citation for LEGO Architecture being "miniland" - I considered it micro-scale.

Sorry, but your edit forces me to -1. As far as I know miniland scale is what is at the parks, and your first paragraph is about micro-scale. This answer is just getting wronger over time.

@Erik Olson and Joe Wreschnig: I've clarified that. You're right: The Architecture sets are not built in any form of Miniland. They're Mini style. not Miniland style.

@Joe Wreschnig: Nope. They're not called Micro at all, anywhere. They're called Mini. See here: http://search2.lego.com/exec/?q=micro&pt=&lang=2057&cc=US&u= and here: http://search2.lego.com/?pt=&cc=US&lang=2057&u=&q=mini&x=0&y=0

@Java: Can you please find a citation for that? Micro-building is a very common Lego term; Lego themselves most recently used it in an MBA set, there is a micro-scale Flikr group at http://www.flickr.com/groups/microscale/; there is a micro-scale category on MOC at http://www.mocpages.com/directory.php/51; etc.

By comparison, your "mini" link contains only three relevant results.

@Joe Wreschnig: WTF are you talking about? I searched the entire LEGO.com for Micro and found nada. I searched the entire LEGO.com for Mini and found nine-hundred-fifty-seven results. Where'd you get "three relevant results" from? P.S. My official term w/957 results vs your 2 links: I believe the official term wins.

thanks for making it a bit clearer, i had also heard of micro-scale but knew that it was separate from this style of building. I know about the more official "mini" style too now.

Ah, the joys of search results. There's a tab on the second of @JavaAndCSharp's links that contains 957 results, compared with the 4 models that were available in the GB shop - however most of those links do not talk explicitly about mini-models, but instead list the same 4 or 5 models. Poor indexing strategy really, they should be excluding the navigation from their crawls.

@Java: http://lego.wikia.com/wiki/20201_Microbuild_Designer Official set. Still waiting for the cite. Don't just read numbers, actually look at the results please.

@Joe Wreschnig: Yup. Looked at the results; they give 14 Lego sets in the 'mini' scale. As you pointed out, there is also a set {may be more than one} in the 'micro' scale. LEGO designers need to agree on one standard term. IMHO, these two scales are the same. Do you agree?


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What does the acronym MOC stand for?
This is a common acronym used in the Lego community - what does MOC mean?

MOC stands for "My Own Creation".

MOC
My Own Creation. Any LEGO creation designed and built by a LEGO fan without instructions. Generally pronounced “mock.”*

Found at this Lego glossary.
Brickipedia's version from their own glossary:

MOC - My Own Creation, a fan- made LEGO model

*A side note: There may be some LEGO fans who pronounce "MOC" the way the individual letters are pronounced - effectively saying "Em-Oh-See".

You could note the grammatical conflict--I hear "a MOC" alot, given that people pronounce it as "MOCK," but I personally say "an MOC" and pronounce it "EM-OH-SEE."

Since when did the pronunciation of an acronym result in a grammatical conflict?

A MOC or a Lego MOC, are the initials of My Own Creation, so, if you have made a creation or a Lego model out of your mind, I mean, with no instructions, you've made a MOC.


text:
Why are minifigure head studs now hollow?
Comparing my childhood minifigure heads to my post dark age ones, there is now a hollow stud at the top vs the solid ones I grew up with. At what point did this change happen and what was  the reason for the change? Up until recently I didn't think it had a functional difference, but I have seen at least one hair piece that takes advantage of the hollow stud to hold it in place (CMF4 punk rocker). Was that a motivating factor for the change?

Part (or mould) changes have numerous reasons, the main ones being:

decrease mould complexity and thus production cost (for example  to )
decrease plastic quantity used and thus production cost (for example, look at the bottom of several 1 x n bricks — the new ones have hollow tubes)
increase part sturdiness (for example  to  — honestly, how many of these did you break as kid?)
add functionality (I have no example in mind, but considering the cost of new moulds, they probably do that only when it has to be replaced, or they treat it as a new part altogether).

Making sure a part fits better into the system is a huge factor in new part creation nowadays, and designers will get a new part produced easier if the part plays nice with the other parts, mainly in terms of connection possibilities, but also of existing similar parts. In the past, things were way less rational.
I'm not so sure it influences part redesign, but it could. At the time the hollow stud appeared on the minifig heads, however, functionality was certainly not the main interest, so I would bet on mould complexity. Of course, since it added functionality anyway, you can count on designer to use it. So it's a bit of a chicken-and-egg problem: did the designer ask for the new functionality first, or did the mould change first? In this case, I would say the latter.
EDIT: Even if I answered the "full stud" against "hollow stud" part, I was intrigued by the "anti-choking" argument of having not only a hollow stud, but even one which was fully hollow, that is, you could see through it. So I asked Jan Beyer, LEGO community manager, about it and it turns out the "non-choking" reason was indeed correct. Here is his answer:

Fast answer:
This is correct, previous the hole was made in the element due to product safety if the element was swallowed.
  These regulations changes from time to time, and it has been evaluated and decided that the hole is no longer needed due to safety regulations.

The bar with a claw on the end was changed, and it added functionality.  The edges of the claw were rounded and it can now be put into more positions.

One theory I've read online is that this change was made to increase safety in case of choking.
This reason appears in a Gizmodo article:

We added this hole on the top of the head just in case any kids got one of the heads stuck in their throat. That way they would be able to keep breathing.

The article, though formatted as an interview, is a compilation of reader questions asked by the writer on a tour, so it is not clear if these are the exact words of Lego staff.
The same rationale is discussed in a Brickset post:

...there's a book that LEGO came out with in Japan, called "LEGO Book Museum" (volume 1). This guy gave a review of it, which is unfortunately lost to the internet ether. The response indicates that his review indicated an "anti-choking" reference relating to minifigs, but apparently wasn't specific, leading people on LUGNET to speculate that they were referring to the hollow-stud head.

The writer provides a translation and concludes that the book seems to just point out the design change itself:

So, I haven't found anything about choking on the page...

The question was about full versus hollow stud, not about the fact that the hollow stud itself is pierced. That said, since LEGO is currently removing that particularity (going to a not-pierced hollow stud), I doubt it was done for safety. If it was, they wouldn't go back.

I remember it happening around 1991. Seems to correlate with growth of toy safety concerns, and trial lawyers.

Well, I've seen enough references to this that it sounds likely, but then I don't get why LEGO would go back. I've sent the question to someone there in the hope of settling it once and for all.

Well, it was correct, actually — I'll add that to my answer.

A hollow head stud allows to connect a 4140303 lightsaber blade sticking out the top. (in case you ever wanted to do that)
It's probably used to save plastic. For every 100 hollow-studded heads, Lego probably saves several heads worth of plastic. In the long run, that saves much material.

Not necessarily just lightsabers, I think some of the minifigures use it to hold hair pieces too

Four words: orange transparent chainsaw mohawk. Can't have a haircut more awesome than that :)

More a comment as I don't know the real answer, but I wonder if it in part had to do with the small vacuum created when you connect to a body piece. Pulling apart tight heads usually made an audible popping noise, especially if the pieces were wet or dirty.
However, I'm sure the friction from grimy pieces had more to do with the tight fit than the vacuum.


text:
Why are old LEGO bricks more brittle than new ones?
My vintage LEGO sets (circa 1980) are difficult to unbuild. Some pieces are prone to break. Did the plastic recipe change with time or are the bricks simply degrading?

Forgot to ask, you didn't glue them, did you?

I don't have an answer, but the feel of Llegos today (2014) is not the same as it was when I was a kid (1970s). The bricks today "slide together" (dynamic friction) while my old bricks "chattered" (stick and slip static friction) and clicked when you pressed them together. My feeling is that the newer bricks have more of a flexible plastic, but perhaps it is just the surface is smoother due to better machining tolerances.

The LEGO company switched to ABS in 1963, bricks produced before that have a markedly different quality.
However, if your sets are from around 1980, they should use ABS already and there should be no reason that the plastic is different.
Other possible explanations would be bad storage conditions (too warm, direct sunlight, maybe), or the fat that the set may have only been built once. Indeed, ABS bricks reach their optimal clutch power after having been assembled/disassembled about 8 to 10 times, so if you just built the set once and let it be (for display for example), then the bricks are in fact still too new and clutch together too tighly.

Gah, you mean I need to pull all my Star Wars LEGO models apart and rebuild them a number of times? Noooo!

Thanks for your answer! My lego blocks were thoroughly used. It feels like they lost any elasticity they had. ie I'm breaking my nails on them. Newer lego sets are soft and gentle and are undone pleasantly...

ABS are not necessarily the same formula. Many additives have come on the market in particular to combat UV and cracking.

Actually I was just checking my CA bricks and they are softer than my old ABS parts still.


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What does "AFOL" mean?
I've seen the term AFOL around; for example, this site has an afol tag. What does AFOL stand for?

Note: when I asked this question, the [tag:afol] tag was also on What does the acronym MOC stand for?.

AFOL stands for "Adult Fan Of LEGO".
From an unofficial LEGO acronym glossary:

AFOL
Adult Fan of LEGO. The most common term used to refer to LEGO fans who are adults. Generally pronounced to rhyme with “hay-foal”.

Or from Brickipedia's glossary (also unofficial):

AFOL - Adult Fan Of LEGO

I saw that meaning before asking, but it didn't explain the way [tag:afol] tag is being used. Is there another meaning, or is the tag usage incorrect?

The only question using that tag at the moment isn't really about adult fans.

I'd say that it was a case of incorrect tag use - perhaps the OP considers themselves an AFOL, and tagged it as such?

Thanks, all: I was wondering what it was I was missing, and the answer was that I wasn't!


text:
What different bricks exist with studs on the sides?
(Partially inspired by this question.)
I have been wondering recently just how many different LEGO bricks there are with studs on the side.
Which LEGO bricks have studs specifically on the sides?
Note: I am asking about bricks, not plates and/or other types of elements.

... how is this question "not constructive"?

First, it's really two questions. The first question is difficult to answer because it would be an enormous and constantly-growing list. Also, the second part is problematic, because there's no real answer - there are an infinite number of ways to SNOT build, and we have no idea whether or not a brick was "designed" for SNOT building. So I too have to vote to close.

Should I delete this question, then?

Well, that's up to you and everyone else. It's received two close votes, but also two upvotes, and the site is what all the users make of it. I think questions along the lines of "I want this effect, how do I build it?" are going to be much more useful than "What effects exist of type X?" The former represent real problems people may Google for. The latter is only of interest to people who generally already know everything about Lego, and can never be completely answered because people keep inventing new things to do.

I really want to answer this question, but I can't figure out where to start. The second part is almost impossible to answer (have you seen plates back-to-back, hold together with levers?), not mentionning that even LEGO used non-SNOT-specific parts to achieve a SNOT effect. And the first part... well, I guess a lot of parts can fit the bill, but maybe some others aren't as clear a case.

@Joe Wreschnig: I've edited the question to make it specific to bricks.

I go with Joe Wreschnig on this one. The list is too long because it covers any piece that is used in a SNOT way (which could be all pieces)

@pcantin I specifically wrote: "bricks, not plates and/or other types of elements".

@PeterDC I think the complexity of the question is in the semantic.  What is a brick? To me a plate is a specialization of a brick, so when I read 'bricks' in your question I think of a lot of pieces.  To me this was confusing.

I'm still not sure about this question. Even if I restrict myself to bricks, I feel like it'll be long list, and one no one will learn anything from. No one approaches a problem like "How can I build SNOT?" or "What bricks have studs on the side?"- rather things like "How can I get an angle four studs wide and eight studs tall with a flat-ish surface?" or "Has Lego made a brick that will provide stability between these two specific parts?"

There are a lot of elements shown (together with other possibilities and SNOT-techniques) at holgermatthes.de, where there are pieces that are really bricks with side-studs (excluding all the other possibilities for SNOT-building) are those (+ the headlight/erling-brick and the big gray blocks you can see here, which are not shown in the following image):

LEGO lists these as "With Knobs" on their Pick-a-Brick tools, i.e. "1x4 With 4 Knobs" (Design ID 30414), or "1x1 With 2 Knobs" (Design ID 87087). They call the Erling-Brick an "Angular Brick 1x1" (Design ID 4070). http://shop.lego.com/en-GB/Pick-A-Brick-11998


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How do I identify a LEGO part?
Over the vast years of collecting bricks of various sizes and sets, I find that during my free builds I run low on a specific type of brick. How can I go about identifying what the brick is named and what resources are available for this identification process?

What I usually do is think of a set that this brick came in. Then I would search for this set on bricklink or brickset. However, this probably only works for certain people.

Check for visible part numbers
This usually only works if you have the physical part in front of you.
Look for a 4 or 5 digit part ID on the element. These are usually printed on the inside. A magnifying glass and good lighting can be helpful. Many bricks will also have other numbers printed on them, but only the 4 or 5 digit numbers are useful for identifying parts.
If you are able to find a part number, search for it on Rebrickable or Bricklink. Rebrickable tends to work well, as it allows you to search by the official Lego part ID printed on the brick, and this number can be different from the Bricklink ID for historical reasons.
Check a set inventory
If you know which set your part comes from, or you know of a set that contains the part, you can look at the inventory of that set on Rebrickable or Bricklink. Simply visually scan the inventory for the part you need to identify.
Search a part catalog
You can search for parts on a number of sites. For example, Rebrickable provides searching by part name, ID, category, and a color that the part has been produced in. This can help produce a relatively small number of parts to look through.
Taking some time to familiarize yourself with the part categories on whichever site you choose to use is also very useful so that you can quickly limit your search to a few hundred parts in one category.
Ask us
If you don't know... just take a pic of it and ask here, we'll find it :-)

Reverse image searches are the best tool I have found for this purpose.
AI and image recognition have come a long way in recent years and are effective and free to use from the convenience of your smartphone.
A reverse image search uses a photo of an object and then searches the web for image matches. This is perfect for part identification, especially since Bricklink has images for almost every part.
Many times the Bricklink part page will be one of the results, but even when it is not, the links often contain a part name that can be plugged into Bricklink to find the part and then find the sets is it a part of.
If you have an Android phone, Google Lens is a fantastic choice. (Note: The Play store is region-specific so you may need to do a manual search for "Google Lens" if the link does not work for you.
If you have an iPhone then I believe you can still use Google Lens via the Google Photos app. See this link for details.
A tip: These apps work best if the part is placed on a plain background. A white table or box lid works best and makes sure the part is well lit.
An ask: If you find this answer helpful, the next time a part identification question is posted, please link to this answer, then hopefully more people will be able to 'help themselves'. Of course, feel free to help the OP with identifying their part also :-)


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Are transparent neon Lego bricks made from a different plastic than usual?
There are several colors of transparent, fluorescent Lego bricks. In particular, "trans neon yellow" and "trans neon orange", introduced in the early 1990s, exist in a variety of specialized shapes like skis, satellite dishes and visors.
A Eurobricks discussion on why minifigs are not made from transparent colors suggests that the transparent colors require a different plastic resin than the normal bricks:

I think some of the issue is that (according to Jamie Berard [Lego designer]), the transparent bricks are made from polycarbonate plastic (PC) rather than ABS. And that's fine most of the time, when you've got opaque ABS and transparent PC, it works just fine. ... But when PC and PC parts get next to each other, they bond VERY TIGHTLY.

I've never really noticed this issue with transparent bricks, but perhaps it's only an issue for certain blocks or with the flexibility needed in minifigs. Still, it's good to know the characteristics of what you're working with!
I can find plenty of information about the normal ABS bricks, but little specifically about how  the transparent neon Lego bricks are made. Are these bricks made from PC rather than ABS?

I have a habit of stacking all my spare 1x1 round plates together, and I've certainly noticed that if I stack the transparent ones together they are harder to separate than the opaque ones.

possible duplicate of What kind of plastic are Lego bricks made of?

PC resins are also more abrasive to molds.

All of this is correct, ABS can't be transparent and thus transparent parts are made of PC.
PC against PC bonds way too tighly and designers are actually forbidden to do that in their models. (I've a 4L lightsaber blade stuck in the crossend of a Technic beam, both trans-red, and I can't get it out.)
I'm fairly sure there's a designer (possibly Jamie Berard indeed) presentation on things forbidden to designers but I can't find it back.
Edit: @Grandpappy found it back: http://bramlambrecht.com/tmp/jamieberard-brickstress-bf06.pdf and it's indeed by Jamie Berard. Worth reading again and again.

Just a clarification, my link was provided by @Kramii!

There's nothing to be ashamed of, you know :-)

I have a small creator set (5865) which calls for two clear 1x2 plates stacked on top of each other.  It is interesting however, that all three models have the plates stacked so there is no need to separate them.


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Cleaning a lot of bricks after a very long time in storage

Possible Duplicate:
Lego cleaning techniques and tools

I have a lot of bricks that have been in storage for a few years. They've been stored in a closed big box.
They're now very dirty. It's mainly dust but it's sticky gooey dust. It goes away when i scrub it with water.
What i need is a practical solution to clean all the bricks together. Some kind of solution to put all the bricks in and get them out clean.
Any ideas?


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Are there any mirrored LEGO bricks?
I recently built LEGO Creator 5770: Lighthouse Island which features a clever trick to build the lighthouse's lantern, using stickers on on a Slope Brick 2x2 and Slope Top 1x2x2/3:
Step 54 from Lighthouse Island Instruction Manual 1/3
It works reasonably well, but I'd like something better. Are there any official mirrored (or prismatic, but this seems even less likely) LEGO bricks?

I have updated my answer to include the first official mirror LEGO piece.

Bricklink search for chrome pieces
Gold 2x4

Duplo: Chrome 2X4

The Detective’s Office & Barber Shop (10246) includes the first mirror in a LEGO set. It was released 1st January 2015.
According to New Elementary, the piece is the same size as 1x4x6 windows, it comes in a bag with stickers to protect the sides from scratches and the part ID is 20193.

Alternatively, there are also highly polished bricks available in chrome and gold that reflect more light then others. These bricks tend to be rare and expensive.
There is a non-purist solution that works well using metalic paper or tin foil which can be found in craft stores and supermarkets respectively. The material is relatively cheap, flexible, can be as small or large as you like and provides a decent reflective surface. You can use double sided tape to stick the material onto slopes or you can hold them in place using bricks.

My little sister had a lot of LEGO Belville, which has some glossy silver bricks and parts:

see the bin and the decoration-bricks on top of the grids - but I never saw or owned "normal" bricks or plates of this color which could be used to build a mirror or something.

LEGO have produced prisms. Here's one type:

There is the 'Chrome Silver Dish 2 x 2 x 2/3 Light Reflector' available from BrickLink.

This piece was available in many sets, one of which was the 3801 - Ultimate Accessory Set for MindStorms where it is used as a reflector around a 'White Electric, Light Brick 1 x 2 with Single Side Light' element.

There are also chrome bricks, such as the LEGO lightsaber hilt, that is hard to see your face on, but they are reflective.

Bigger chromed pieces were available in a Special Edition Naboo Starfighter. Shiny!

One other mirror piece that hasn't been listed is the Mirror of Erised in 4721-1: Hogwarts Classrooms.

It too is a sticker, on another piece, in this case a clear window.

On the front, the sticker is reflective, with screen printing for the characters over it. On the back side however (the side with the adhesive), it is all reflective.

It's not perfect, it has a bit of a texture, but it is pretty reflective.

I had some gold bars from a LEGO City police set.
They are ten 1x2 Metalic Gold tiles in this LEGO Agents set:

I will also add that these bricks' reflections aren't diffuse - that is, they're as reflective as the back side of an iPhone, so they'd probably work pretty well as mirrors.

I have this set and the gold bars are the kind that are not very reflective.

@Ambo100 Oh, really? Mine are reflective. At least, I hope they still are. Haven't seen 'em for two years. :( So are yours like the LEGO Indiana Jones golden idol's material, then?

There is at least one Clikits set that contains an actual mirror: 7504 Friendship Frame / Mirror
The actual part is Clikits Mirror Insert 4 x 4, fits Frame clikits011 which is a bit large for use in the Creator Lighthouse but is an official LEGO mirror part.


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How can I build an (automatic) Mindstorms charging-station?
I'm thinking about buying LEGO Mindstorms and start programming robots. I'm a software engineer and LEGO fan since I was a child so this sounds like the perfect combination of my dearest hobbies.
But some questions come into my mind that I simply can't find out on the LEGO website:

Is is possible to programmatically check the battery charge status?
How is the NXT 2.0 block, where the power for all those motors and sensors come from, charged
Is there a possibility to build some kind of charging station where my robot can drive in to get recharged?

The point of this is, I would love to have a robot that's driving around doing stuff, and when the batteries are almost empty (let's say < 10%). it would drive to the recharging station on its own — and when it's full again (> 95%), get out of the station again and continue doing other stuff.

For the 'charging station', I'll say it is impractical, unless you plan to leave your NXT on all the time. (Which I don't recommend doing, in case the battery fails or something.) It is a better idea to buy a backup battery.

As a software engineer, you would probably be more at home in NXC, a C-like language compatible with the standard firmware. You can then use BatteryLevel().
If you want to use the standard programming environment, use this custom block.

@Dori I had the exact same edit, but I hadn't clicked 'Save Edits'. :)

Yes, it is possible to check the battery level. I am a software engineer, too and i have already done that in different environments (leJOS, NXC).
It is not charged. It uses standard AA batteries. There is a really handy rechargable battery pack, though.
A recharging-station could probably be built with this, but it might be quite tricky to do. As far as I know, there are no "wireless" charging possibilities like those some mobile phones are using (using magnetic fields to transfer energy or something). You would need to drive the robot towards the plug, but i assume that that's possible.

The battery pack uses the LEGO train transformer for recharging, it has a 5.5mm plug. To me it looks feasible to plug it in automatically, but it will need some fiddling.

@starblue: Exactly. That is what i was trying to say.

+1 thanks for your answer - sadly i can only choose one as accepted so i let the votes decide

For the recharing part, keep in mind noone said you must use AA batteries or the rechargeable pack. You can build your own charging adapter, which means you can also equip it with a different (more powerful?) battery of your own, and have charging contacts which are more easy to access for a recharging station. (Or use wireless charging if you know how).
This may require some electrical knowledge, but it will be easier to automate than trying to plug the charger in the rechargeable battery. That said, you can combine both, use the rechargable battery, and use a cut power supply cable to connect it to large recharger contact plates or something.

+1 thanks for your answer - sadly i can only choose one as accepted so i let the votes decide

No problem, since you asked more than one question and I answered only one of them, my answer shouldn't be the accepted one anyway.

I think a wireless hamster wheel induction recharging station is in order! Simple to make, fun to watch.

What you need is a Wireless Power Charger with a Voltage and current suitable for charging your Robot
here is a link to an instructable that will show you how to build a generic wireless charger. You will need to adapt it to your own needs. i.e. adjust the receiver voltage to charge the power pack
http://www.instructables.com/id/Wireless-Ipod-Charger/
With this circuit, you should be able to build a charging station that the BOT simply  needs to get near to recharge itself. (a small pad with the transmitter in the base and a homing signal The robot can track)

Lego NXT vacuum cleaner project included charging station http://www.plastibots.com/index.php/2010/11/13/pulito-featuring-dflex/

authors: ضياء مانع عبادي


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Is there difference between different colors of LEGO axles?
There are a few different colors of LEGO Technic axles, but not enough to really use for artistic variation - black, grey, some beige, and recently I have started seeing blue.
The particular color used in different Technic sets seems arbitrary to me. Is there a difference between the different colors aside from just the color, like a slightly different size or tensile strength?

The only way to check differences would be to perform torsion tests, I think. A possible way would be to create torsion bars like Sariel used in a recent tank build.

Be sure of the difference between axles and connector pegs (and combinations of both).

@BoltClock: Yep, I managed to figure out the differences between connector pegs when I was a kid. :) Which is why I always wondered if the axles had similar practical differences.

Hmmm my comment should have been under Sibbo's answer, since it seemed to be referring to pegs. So I posted in the wrong textarea :S

The first LEGO axles were milky white and were probably made in a different plastic than they are now.
Later on, LEGO started making all-black axles when they started doing more serious technic sets. However, the tendancy is now to make sure all difficult technic pieces are "color-coded" so that children can pick them out more easily. As such, nowadays, the following axle lengths and colors are standard:

2: red, notched
3, 5, 7, 9: (new) grey - no 11 yet as far as I know but I suppose it's just a matter of time
4, 6, 8, 10, 12: black
3 with stud: dark tan
4 with stop, 5.5 with stop, 8 with stop: (new) dark grey

Similarly, 2L friction pins are black, non-friction grey, 3L friction pins are blue and non-friction tan, and so on. All that to make sure they're easy to pick. Even gears are being changed now, for example the classic 24T is now dark grey.
That said, there have been other colors used for axles, when the color itself was important. I've seen tan, red, green, brown, but possibly others exists. The long ones (32 and 16) have also been produced in black, white, and yellow (32 only).
As far as I know the plastic used is always the same, so they should all have the same mechanical properties.

Years, later, the 11 axle is a reality https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=23948

A near useless factoid is that the colorant added to ABS plastic affects the mechanical properties. For reasons I do not understand the RED colorant weakens any plastic it is added to more than any of the other colorants. The black colorant appears to be the strongest.

@Dan1138 the red probably absorbs most UV/blue light leading to brittleness over time.  The black may be/include carbon particles which make for tougher plastics in some cases


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What is the largest Lego kit commercially available?
I believe the Imperial Star Destroyer is the biggest in terms of size, at 58.8 cm by 50.5 cm by 21 cm, and the Death Star in the number of pieces, at 3803. Are there any newer, bigger models?

I can't wait to see when the answer to this question will change.

In 2008, LEGO released an exclusive Creator model of the Taj Mahal, with 5922 pieces, the most in a commercial LEGO set.

It is no longer available at the LEGO Shop, but it's still commercially available from other retailers. Here's its Amazon product page.

Woah. That's quite a kit. Like to see the average build time for that.

Average time I don't know, but the record is 1 hour 47 minutes and 9 seconds for a team of 6 persons.

Any other place besides amazon where i can buy this set for a lesser price? I remember when it was launched, it was sold for $250. Not sure why they stopped manufacturing this and why the prices sky rocketed. Also, is it still worth spending $1k for such a architecture.

This answer has became outdated, the most up-to-date list is currently found at Brickset.

The Super Star Destroyer, with 3152 pieces, is nearly 50 inches (124.5 cm) long and weighs nearly 8 pounds (3.5kg):

While the Ultimate Collectors Edition Millennium Falcon had over 5000 pieces, and was 33" long, 22" wide and 8" tall! (84cm long x 56cm wide x 21cm tall), and was officially advertised as the biggest set ever made - it was almost exactly to Mini Figure scale as well.

In terms of height, I think the Eiffel Tower is unmatched, standing at 1 meter tall on a base of 50x50cm. When looking at the picture below, keep in mind a cat can easily pass under the arches:

The parts count, at 3428, isn't too bad either.

I'm not sure a cat will be any more interested in passing under its arches than using it as a scratching post though ;)

Ok, maybe not so much passing under than deciding it's a funny place to take a nap.

This set is almost impossible to move.  You have to have a board and steady arms.

@LarsTech it's not that bad, actually, as the three sections are separable.There are only 4 connecting studs between each section, the rest are tiles.

Unfortunately, I did not pay attention to the laws of gravity the first time I tried to move it.  It did not end well.  :-(

The set with the most pieces as of 2018 is the #75192 Millennium Falcon with 7541 pieces.

It measures over 8” (21cm) high, 33” (84cm) long and 22” (56cm) wide.

Think it might be worth converting my answer to a wiki and keeping it up to date since it's the pinned answer?


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How can I store LEGO bricks to prevent damage?
I have some LEGO bricks which are probably about 10 years old. They've neither changed color in any way nor dried out or anything, so it seems to be as stable as ever.
How should I store them so that my own children (and maybe their children) can play with them?

You are at a site where we do NOT store the LEGO but still play with it :)

Indeed, keep playing, and don't make children. Keep your bricks for yourself.

Have you tried carbonite? It does wonder at protecting space smugglers from harm.

Plastic Bricks

Fading — Keep bricks away from natural light to avoid colour fading. (Models in Legoland Miniland are subjected to year-round weather. The chemicals in the plastic bricks are broken down by UV light.)
Heat — Keep bricks at room temperature in a dry place (like a cupboard). The melting point of a brick at 105 °C (221 °F) shouldn't be a concern.
Dust — Store bricks in air-tight containers. Dust is notoriously difficult to clean, especially around the studs of a brick. Whilst dust has no serious long-term effects on Lego, it saves a lot of time cleaning the bricks in the future.

Special Parts

Electronics — Always remove batteries from electronics when put into long-term storage. Over time the batteries may corrode, leaving a sticky mess that can be difficult to clean.
Rubber — Technic rubber bands and other pieces made of rubber will degrade over time when exposed to light and oxygen. Keep rubber bands in an airtight bag.
Stickers — How should I store unused stickers?

I'd save these last two points for LEGO merchants or casual online shoppers:

Smoke — Keep bricks away from cigarette smoke. It can be very hard to remove damage from bricks, and may discolour them as well as leaving a faint odour.
Pet Hair — If you plan on selling your LEGO bricks in the future, you may find some buyers have allergies to certain pets.

Yep, I can safely state that my LEGO bricks had been stored in a collection of cardboard boxes in both my parent's and then my own loft and are now enjoying a new life with my kids :) The only things that have not survived are the rubber bands and some of the older pneumatic tubes.

Seconded. I stored mine in a metal can for 8 years in a metal can, and then for another 7 or so years in a paper ream box and it stored pretty well. I would also point out that smoke wasn't issue for me (my parents smoke), but then again, it had a LONG time to clear out. I'm pretty sure I kept the bricks relatively cool, they were never in an attic or garage.

Mine survived 30 years in a cardboard box in a hot (occasionally more than 100F) garage. Even the strings, manuals, pneumatic tubes & springs are still intact & functional.

Store them in a place with no direct sunlight shining on the block to avoid bleaching. Also, make sure it isn't getting too warm (>50°C) - that's about all, the standard LEGO bricks consist of ABS, which is very robust.
In conclusion, the ideal place is dark and has as least fluctuation in temperature as possible: put your LEGO in a box/chest and store it in your basement/cupboard.

Will humidity affect the blocks?

since ABS isn't soluble in water this shouldn't have any effect. the only way i can think of is very humid air in combination with freezing temeratures wich could cause damage, but i'm nut sure about that. as long as you don't reach extreme conditions (wich shouldn't occur in a cubby anyway) theres no problem.

LEGO vampire minifigs in particular must NOT be exposed to direct sunlight.

Humidity may be an issue for LEGO bricks with electronic functions, pneumatic cylinders and the older wheel bricks with metal axels.

My first LEGO set was a police station I think  from 1976 where I was 2½ years old. This and many other bricks (have around 50-60kg) have been stored in cardboard boxes, in the attic for years and now my son and I are playing with them to great fun for the both of us.
Some of the bricks have some wear and tear, but overall the majority is looking just as fine as new ;o)

Avoid storing Lego bricks in your attic. The daily temperature range and extreme heat of summer can potentially damage the bricks.
Remove all batteries from Lego electronics before medium or long term storage.
Place all metal containing pieces and electronics in an airtight container (older metal axle wheels, etc) with a bag of desiccant. Desiccant is inexpensive and can be found at hardware or hobby shops, or online.
Sticker sheets should be stored individually, in long term storage the adhesives could migrate or ooze.
Store paper instructions and stickers in polyethylene, polypropylene, or polyester bags or notebook sheet protectors. The box of bags or protectors should be clearly labeled "archival safe". Other types of plastic bags contain softeners that can damage paper in long term storage. Archival notebook sheet protectors can be found at any major office supply. Archival bags can be found at art supply stores and online. Do not store these in attics, basements, or garages! Paper is highly sensitive to humidity and temperate fluctuations.
Store Lego rubber bands in a small polypropylene bag with each set, or separately. In long term storage they will probably deteriorate. (The rubber bands are easy to replace, but the rubber softeners they contain could damage bricks if they melt). Store older tires similarly.
If you have the original boxes the Lego sets came in, keep them dry and dust-free. The original boxes in good condition can enhance the value of the sets among collectors.
For more information on long term storage, a great conservation information site is the American Library of Congress at https://www.loc.gov/preservation/
A directly related question I have is if it is OK to store bricks attached together to save space, or if this will tend to cause the bricks to lose their grip and become loose after long term storage? I suspect it is better to store them loose, unattached, in case the ABS material has a 'material memory' property.


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How can I efficiently pick up bricks off the floor?
My floor is covered in bricks. My bare feet can't take much more abuse. Is there a way of collecting up the bricks easily, or should I just get on my knees and start scooping them up with my hands?

Probably - now you mention it, I remember using the Technic front loader shovel in a similar way - forgot about that though as it's been sitting in a box in the loft for too long...

I use small children - well, it's usually their fault, so they might as well be tasked with picking them all up again!

I actually have somewhere a special Lego picking up device. It has two wheels on the sides and when you slide it across the floor, these turn an attachment at the front. The attachement is basically like the thing on the side of a paddle boat, but taking up the whole width of the front, and it throws the lego pieces into the back of the device as it turns. It works marvelously on carpets!
Edit: It's a Brick Vac.

Found it! I shall not be insulted if you bow to the master of Google-Fu. :) Hey, I meant me!

Thank you!! I couldn't find it earlier on. Also, although thee picture show what is technically Duplo, it works brilliantly on Lego and Lego Technic.

Shouldn't be too hard to make an automated Mindstorms robot doing just that

I know the sheet-on-the-carpet idea has been mentionned already, but why not go for a full LEGO solution?

And if you want another pure LEGO solution, I give you… the Brick-O-Dile!

While a bag solves the OP's problem, the bricks rapidly become mixed with dust, hair and other filth. So, from one problem to another.

The best idea is just using prevention: Put a big white cloth on the floor, and when you want to clean up, put the corners together and collect the parts from the middle.

This is what my brother and I did as children

Wow when I first read that I saw "That is what my brother and I did with children"

I like to get out my Loader-Dozer (from LEGO Rock Raiders) to clean up my bricks:

Obviously this is inspired from the video game, in which the same vehicle serves to remove rubble:

I'm so meta like that.

"Loh-dah Doeser"

@Pubby8: "Ruh-bull"

Let me guess... "-1 for nostalgia"? Wait, that's not right...

A dustpan & brush will do a good job:

Just make sure you don't pick up too much dust with the bricks!

It's called a dustpan, not a shovel ;)

thanks for the hint, i changed that - i'm not a native english speaker, so i just translated the german "handfeger und schaufel" ;)

It's commonly called "a brush and shovel" in Aotearoa and I suspect at least parts of Scotland.

Hoover. Or bare feet. They both work well ;)
Seriously though, I'm a bare hands kind of guy if I've not followed the instructions, and split them all over the floor as opposed to doing it on the table or a large butlers tray.

I agree about the bare hands technique!  Also, my young dog is quite adept at finding the pieces.

I seem to remember Hoover made one specific model which was LEGO-friendly; that is, LEGO parts were supposed to go in another compartment. They even offered a small set with it.

We have a bagless vacuum cleaner and it works quite well, but it does rattle the pieces round a lot and I suspect damages them.

One easy way to prevent them from getting into the carpet, is to first spread the Lego over a sheet that's on the ground.  Then you can just pick up the corners and dump the pieces back where they are stored.

We have a rule that you only play with LEGO at the dining room table. The pieces are too little to be played with efficiently on the floor. It's much easier to tidy away as you have a smaller space that you can sweep into a box. Any small piece that gets dropped is picked up by the Roomba iRobot!

The question is not about the merits of playing on the floor but about what to do to pick up pieces once they're on the floor.  On the other hand, I also prefer to build on the table so I don't lose pieces.

I am using my Lego  Remote-Controlled Volvo L350F Wheel Loader (42030 set number) just pushing them into a one big pile and then using my own hands.