I was absolutely gobsmacked when I started buying new Lego sets a few years ago that inside was a brick separator. The amount of times as a child I had cut the skin around my fingernails or almost swallowed some Lego trying to separate the bricks was unreal 🤣
The notion that someone would have enough lego to worry about wearing out their brick separator, and somehow miraculously would not have five hundred more lying around somewhere, is astonishing to me.
Actually, there is a way to do so, but the plates have to be at least 2 studs wide. Use a separator and attach a single stud/hole to only one of the the plate's stud/hole. Get another separator, repeat the same process, but make sure they are right next to each other and don't overlap each other and have them face in the same direction. Once you do that, "crush" them together with your hand, and it should separate the plates.
I don't remember the inclusion of a brick separator when I had LEGO"s, even when my parents purchased them at a store in Malmo in 1985. The two brick separation was a painful experience, my fingernails were all torn up as a child.
I wouldnt say that Lego lied about how to use the separator, they probably engineered it so it was easier for kids, but you have without a doubt found some better ways to use the same tool
But it's clearly easier to use it when you flip it around the "wrong" way. The title is still clickbait though because I don't think Lego is "lying," I think it's simply a design oversight.
Brick separators weren’t in sets when I was a kid. Plus I didn’t have any of the super large sets. Now as adult and back into the hobby, I have so many of these laying around the house. I use them to open those pop top cans or anything else I need to get under with my nails. I had collected 57 at one point. Ended up donation 20 of them to my daughter’s elementary school Lego club. They only had 2 for the kids to share.
I haven't played with legos in like 20 years, but I had some old gray separators. I think my parents bought them for me because of issues I had. It's neat that they come in the kits now.
I think they started including them in the "starter" kits during the 90s (that's when I was big into Legos, and I had a few of the old grey thick ones). Didn't realize that they had different colored ones, or that they slimmed them down at some point.
Same. I've never come across a Lego separator before. I remember when I was little I got super frustrated with pieces stuck together. Nice to know this exists 😭
Actually, I have never gotten a Lego set that has ever had a brick separator included. Only with recent mega blocks sets have I found that contained brick separators. As a kid, I didn’t take nearly as much care of my bricks, and would use my teeth to separate bricks I couldn’t separate with my hands. So there are some bricks that have been warped due to my biting the bricks causing damage to the bricks, and many star wars droid arms I would accidentally break because I didn’t put them on the droid body correctly.
@@chloeb1642 well you now have someone who can back you up there. I chewed up some bricks so bad that they can’t be used on one side anymore. But I had to learn that lesson the hard way.
@@akolyt that explains it. I never really had big sets growing up. Couldn’t afford them or get them as gifts. I’d see them in the catalogs as buyable items, but never ordered bricks or anything like that from Lego.
I didn’t even know a brick separator was a thing until just now. I remember literally breaking my fingernails trying to separate pieces when I was a kid. How long have these things existed? This just blew my mind.
Anybody else remember when Lego first started giving you these in their sets? They didn't tell you what it was for, and everyone was confused what it was.
The original version came out in 1990, and was discontinued in 2011. It came only in the largest of sets, and was made in both dark grey and in green. The updated version came out in 2012, and came in orange, dark turquoise, and green. It came with most medium sets and upwards. The wide version was introduced in 2020, and came only in mosaic sets. I believe the wide version was only made in black.
One way to deal with the double 2 x 2 plate problem with the modern separator, is to put the bottom separator on only one stud, and the top separator on the other stud. That way you have enough room to pinch them together and have both plates come apart.
Ok, this blew my mind. I always had lego separators in my sets when I was a kid but never knew what they were called or what they were used for. The amount of bite marks my flat pieces had because I couldn’t get them off each other… one of my greatest childhood mysteries solved.
I would guess that they recommend using the separator right side up because the rails act as the fulcrum against the base plate. Using it upside down will make the studs on the base plate the fulcrum instead, which could damage the studs.
I was going to leave a comment about how the leverage is different based off the orientation, and I saw this comment expressing exactly what I wanted to say. It's definitely about making sure that the studs aren't put under stress, as they aren't designed to (as exemplified by their justifications for making "illegal" building illegal).
Well either way the studs will be put under near equivalent amounts of stress because no matter what the all of the resistance the will be going into the board either way. But if you use it upside down, you can use it like a wedge instead of a first-class lever to reduce stress on the studs
@@DarktideVtuber It's important to note that the reason for not applying pressure to the studs is not because of net force but because of structure. Applying downward force on the plate itself is safe because the plate is built to withstand it and the studs' connection to the plate is never being tested, whereas the upside down tool applies force at an angle to the stud, stressing the connection between stud and plate. In addition, that angled applied force increases the risk of shearing, especially for sharp 90° angles as seen on studs. Do I think anyone will run into the problem of their studs breaking off due to the upside-down spudger method? Probably never. LEGO likes to play it safe, or at least by the books.
@@jo54763 If they put out a design that specifically did this, there would inevitably be damage and that damage would be Lego's fault. If you use illegal techniques, you know that any damage is your own fault.
When my younger brother and I were growing up and playing with Lego, they didn't have brick separators. When I got a little old for Legos, I stacked all my Legos neatly together, and then gave them to my younger brother, to add to his sets. Before I handed them over I showed our parents how organized they were. I amused myself a few days later by showing our parents that the neatly stacked Legos I had just given my younger brother a few days before, were now in a state of total chaos.😄 Several years ago my older brother was cleaning our very elderly father's garage out, and found a bucket full of Legos from the sets my younger brother and I used to have when we were growing up. My older brother gave the bucket of antique Legos to me. What makes them antique? I'm in my mid sixties. Funny thing is, since then I've used some of them to make useful things for my apartment. I also neatly stacked most of them. Wish I was as good at keeping my apartment organized.😄 Lego, and other toys like them are great for kids whether girls or boys, and yes, you can continue playing with them for your entire life. They are educational without being too teachy. They let you use your imagination, and they give people a chance to try out designing stuff. Legos weren't around when my older brother was at the age to start playing with building games. He had Lincoln Logs and an Erector set. Kids will have fun with whatever brand of building set they have, unless they are addicted to electronic games. One more thing. Building toys aren't gender specific. While more boys are into them than girls, there are plenty of girls who like to design and build stuff with these types of toys, myself included. Yes, I'm female. Growing up, my younger brother and I didn't get along well. Lego was about the only thing we could stand to do together. That's another fun thing about building toys. You can play by yourself or with others. I think Legos were among my favorite toys when I was growing up.🤗
I remember getting a set once and didn’t notice the separator until weeks after opening the set. Didn’t bother looking it up and assumed it was a fancy lookin’ surfboard even though the set had nothing to do with the ocean, now the separator is lost 😔
another really good use for them is if repairing a laptop screen you can use them to remove the edge bezel around the screen to change a damaged or faulty LCD panel, it clips them off without damaging the clips that hold them together. it will not scratch the screen if removing the bezel to repair or replace screen hinges also. i keep one with my tools for doing repairs on laptops. sometimes you need one for laptop cases also when separating them after undoing all the screws.
This video is FANTASTICALLY crafted. You managed to give useful, interesting tips that I haven't seen before and very naturally worked in clips of your builds, which are GORGEOUS. Definitely subscribing; I want to see more 8D
After sanding it, it might also be a good idea to swab it with a cotton ball soaked in acetone. I would worry about the sanding marks making it easier to scratch your bricks, and acetone could work to polish it more. But try this on a Lego brick or brick separator that you don't care about as a test dummy first.
@@emilyemily9831 it would definitely melt the lego plastic. I watch a master builder who works for lego on tiktok and he uses acetone to slightly melt the pieces together like a glue.
@@emilyemily9831 that effect is what’s desirable in OP’s comment. By using a small amount of acetone to gently melt the plastic it will polish it without needing to buy finer sandpaper. This same process is used on new 3d printed parts to help smooth out surface finishes for a better looking product. 👍
@@emilyemily9831 Yes, the whole point is to slightly dissolve the plastic! But it can become excessive easily, which is why I suggest only dabbing it on with a cotton ball. Honestly, a light misting would be better. People do this to ABS 3D prints all the time in the 3D printing world. Usually, you put an ABS part in a container with paper towels soaked I'm acetone. The volatility causes it to get everywhere and very gently dissolve the plastic superficially. Maybe a cotton ball is too aggressive compared to vapor.
2:16 Why did they change the design of the separator? The old one with an angle between the top and bottom surfaces seems much better design! I guess the newer version is easier to extract from the mold, that is cheaper, but is there any other good reason?
I’ve used both but the old one isn’t as good at separating pieces and can’t do as much since it doesn’t have have that little bit on the top for taking apart technic stuff.
I’m not sure if this is a recent invention or not, but regardless, this would’ve made my childhood ten times easier. The amount of times I placed a Lego in the wrong spot and could pick it up is unreal. And my nails and hands were struggling as I tried to dig under the block 😆. Glad they are including in sets now though!
@@kami3000 Nah, you could also buy them separately in some stores, or get them from sets like the 1879 bucket, which got released in 1992. Pretty sure I somehow ended up with 2 in the 90s, despite never having ordered anything from Lego directly.
Firstly; you can use two regular brick seporators to take apart the extremely difficult 2x2 or 1x2 plates apart. You need to press the serators together where it connects to the plates, and with your other hand, press the end of the handles together. This will open the plates up, and you can now pull them apart with ease. Secondly; the first time I got a brick separator, it came with a Star Wars set of a First Order TIE Fighter (from 2015), and I initially thought it was the ladder for the minifigures to climb inside the cockpit...
Just started using the separator upside down relatively recently (maybe after seeing it in one of your videos, idk). BUT sometimes the axle prevents it from being used this way and the upside up way is necessary. Also, if you only have new separators and need to separate two 2x2 plates, just press at the bottom, near the fulcrum (right behind the axle) and it should work. Thanks for the video!
I think part of the reason they tell you to use the end right side up is to stop pieces pinging off so much, which makes you more likely to lose pieces. When you did it properly the pieces came off much more controlled and moved maybe 2 or 3 studs away, while upside down they went flying off screen
actually if you checked at the beginning of the time stamp for that, he did it "the right way" and the piece also flew off the screen. So if anything, it would just come down to how much force you're applying to the seperator in the first place.
2:25 This trick totally does work with 2. I use this trick all the time! You need to hold the one on the bottom in the opposite direction (The other 2 studs) and then push down on the top brick like a lever. Hopefully this helps!' Edit: This video explains it I bit better than I do: ua-cam.com/video/LBWgFCi7NLk/v-deo.html
Thanks for sharing, although I knew most of the tricks already. I have not had any issues getting two small plates apart with two orange separators in the past - you also need to squeeze the ends holding the bricks a bit so they don’t pop off the bricks, but not too much to prevent them from prizing the bricks apart. Works for me! 👍🏻 (and besides I don’t have any old separators so that is not an option for me)
Wow. I’m old. There was no brick separator when I was a kid. Maybe they had them in Denmark but I remember seeing one in print somewhere and I got really excited about it. It’s hard to believe they’ve gone through several iterations.
Same here. I remember a few years back my little brother got some legos and it came with one and I thought it was just a useless lego piece meant for decoration 🤣💀✋🏼
Woah, I've been buying Lego's for the past decade and I never ever once seen a Brick separator? I have been buying the wrong boxes all these years... man this thing would make my life a whole lot easier!
I clicked this video bc I honestly had no idea what that piece even was and I was curious; I got one when I purchased an off-brand Lego dice tower (shout out to my TTRPG nerds out there) and it didn’t explain what it was for. I have another dice tower I’m planning on building and knowing this may be super helpful! So long story short, thanks for this 😂
its currently almost 1am, this video came up on my feed and i haven't played with lego's in probably a year. i can confirm that this video is incredibly useful and entertaining
I really appreciate that you mentioned the old LEGO separator. I have 2 of them and will likely pass one down to my 8 year old niece come this holiday season. Good to know that the old and new work in conjunction.
Thank you, I didn't even know it was possible to seperate bricks without crying, brute force, hours of effort in vain and damaging as well my teeth and the bricks. It was EXTREMLY useful for the longevity of my legos (I'm quite old, in my childish days, seperators didn't exist, there were even the older street-system. (not the old one with grey baseplates, but the ultraold with green baseplates) I never stoped playing, but stayed as silly as like I was as kid IN TERMS OF LEGOs
1:20 I discovered the technique awhile ago where you run the brick remover along the tiles. It is very quick BUT it can leave scratch marks on you baseplates. So be careful when using this.
When I try to put stickers on my legos with my fingers I can find it pretty hard because I don’t always get or tell if the sticker is at the right angle or position to place it while holding on to it. So what I do is use the tip of the brick separator and place the sticker at the end so I can have a more better view and angle to place the sticker on the Lego piece.
When I was a kid, this tool would've done wonders. Instead I was in the medicine cabinet looking for bandaids cuz of all the scraps finger tips. Nothing beats ol elbow and finger tip grease lol
Seeing that old separator unlocked some memories I didn't know I had. I don't think I knew it was for separating bricks, but I'm pretty sure I had a gray one of those...
I have four Technic sets. None of them came with a brick separator - my fingernails are not happy. I did order a couple of them with my last set purchase, however. Can't wait until they get here! Thanks for these really great tips!
I manage the large Lego collection of my boys (age 6 and 4), periodically taking apart partial builds and putting away all the pieces using my patented categorization system 😜 (it involves a lot of organizers with plastic drawers!!). These tips are so helpful. The brick separators changed my life, and you just made them that much more valuable! (Especially when it comes to separating those 2x2s - bain of my life!!!)
Growing up, all my lego was super old. It was mostly my dad’s Lego from when he was a kid. The only proper set I had was that original space set with the spaceman that was in the Lego movie. I had a couple new sets too but they were like really small Lego city ones. I never had a brick separator since most of my Lego was from before their invitation or the set was too small for It’s inclusion. Playing with lego for me just meant it was impossible to separate blocks and you would have to spend 5 minutes just trying to get your nail under it to pull it up. I recently got a new, bigger set and it came with a brick separator. Let me tell you, that thing is amazing. It’s so easy to separate blocks!
I use mine all the time and knew most of these just from use, but the one to remove large areas of tile I'm definitely going to use as I didn't know it! And I never thought to use sandpaper either! Thank you!!!
I was absolutely gobsmacked when I started buying new Lego sets a few years ago that inside was a brick separator. The amount of times as a child I had cut the skin around my fingernails or almost swallowed some Lego trying to separate the bricks was unreal 🤣
yup, really did a number on the teeth, huh?
I had a brick separator in my box when I last played with Lego 25 years ago
i did the same
I've never seen one in a box. I bought it to take with me as a nanny rather than using the family's butter knives.
Luckily I have a brittle nails and thus I always separate with other pieces of lego so I never use the lego separator lol
The notion that someone would have enough lego to worry about wearing out their brick separator, and somehow miraculously would not have five hundred more lying around somewhere, is astonishing to me.
E
@@EEEEEEEE username checks out.
ua-cam.com/video/ARMt924Q7lY/v-deo.html
The fact they come standard in sets now is insane to me
Gren?
removing two plates is always such a hassle, always need to find another piece to latch onto and achieve enough leverage.
Actually, there is a way to do so, but the plates have to be at least 2 studs wide. Use a separator and attach a single stud/hole to only one of the the plate's stud/hole. Get another separator, repeat the same process, but make sure they are right next to each other and don't overlap each other and have them face in the same direction. Once you do that, "crush" them together with your hand, and it should separate the plates.
Two orange separators work fine for me. Just press them together closer to the end that attaches to the studs.
I just use a sharp knife lul
I just use two old brick separators out of habit. World as well as what he showed here.
Teeth
the amount of fingers and fingernails ive broken for those 2 pieces stuck together 2:19
Me too. 1x2 pieces were the worst.
I always used my therth for those lol
Because they're pout lips aka duck lips aka salm lips
Thanks commenter is this where the car seat goes? What about the h chair? 😭
did not expect to see you there car_pal, I'm a big fan of you and you are a huge inspiration for me.
I don't remember the inclusion of a brick separator when I had LEGO"s, even when my parents purchased them at a store in Malmo in 1985. The two brick separation was a painful experience, my fingernails were all torn up as a child.
I had one in one of those 1990s red tubs of bricks, but never in a theme set.
That's because the brick separator was introduced in 2010
I had a grey brick separator in the 90's that didn't have the peg on top. Had to buy it on its own
@@21backwards78 I got a grey separator in the 90s. It was much bigger and had more leverage. But I also had no idea what it was or what it did.
*legos*
euuuuuuuuugh
At first I thought it was just another brick separator video, but you managed to share some tricks that I haven't seen before. Very informative!
That's great to hear!
Indeed 🫡
Cool
I thought it was a surf board
WTH LOOK AT THE 2nd LAST COMMENT ⬆️
ه ذ …
I wouldnt say that Lego lied about how to use the separator, they probably engineered it so it was easier for kids, but you have without a doubt found some better ways to use the same tool
Just trying to get the views with that title.
Click bait bro
facts
But it's clearly easier to use it when you flip it around the "wrong" way. The title is still clickbait though because I don't think Lego is "lying," I think it's simply a design oversight.
Gotta know how to name vids to get views, the Lego community is small and I probably wouldn’t have clicked on it if the title didn’t grab me
Brick separators weren’t in sets when I was a kid. Plus I didn’t have any of the super large sets. Now as adult and back into the hobby, I have so many of these laying around the house. I use them to open those pop top cans or anything else I need to get under with my nails. I had collected 57 at one point. Ended up donation 20 of them to my daughter’s elementary school Lego club. They only had 2 for the kids to share.
I haven't played with legos in like 20 years, but I had some old gray separators. I think my parents bought them for me because of issues I had. It's neat that they come in the kits now.
I think they started including them in the "starter" kits during the 90s (that's when I was big into Legos, and I had a few of the old grey thick ones). Didn't realize that they had different colored ones, or that they slimmed them down at some point.
I remember having the old grey one too. It was truly the grail key
Any $75+ set will have one.
Interesting. I never knew they existed until today.
@@Corn0nTheCobb same
I am very confused how this ended up in my recommendations but I'm thankful for this
Yeah I've never watched any Lego vids, so this is out of the blue. Very informative though
Same! It was very enjoying to watch though
same
Same.
I've never come across a Lego separator before. I remember when I was little I got super frustrated with pieces stuck together.
Nice to know this exists 😭
Yeah
Actually, I have never gotten a Lego set that has ever had a brick separator included. Only with recent mega blocks sets have I found that contained brick separators. As a kid, I didn’t take nearly as much care of my bricks, and would use my teeth to separate bricks I couldn’t separate with my hands. So there are some bricks that have been warped due to my biting the bricks causing damage to the bricks, and many star wars droid arms I would accidentally break because I didn’t put them on the droid body correctly.
the brick separators are in bigger sets but i have had some in smaller sets like the $30 ones
We have a brick separator and I still have to constantly remind my son not to take bricks apart with his teeth
@@chloeb1642 well you now have someone who can back you up there. I chewed up some bricks so bad that they can’t be used on one side anymore. But I had to learn that lesson the hard way.
@@akolyt that explains it. I never really had big sets growing up. Couldn’t afford them or get them as gifts. I’d see them in the catalogs as buyable items, but never ordered bricks or anything like that from Lego.
never really cared to use the brick separator
i just bite the pieces off
never do that again
@@Darth_B nah I'mma do my own thing
Why is this the top comment? It only has 7 likes
@@gingerface26 UA-cam algorithm stuff prob
@@BR3DCRUST you are replying to comments even a year later, i commend your commitment
I didn’t even know a brick separator was a thing until just now. I remember literally breaking my fingernails trying to separate pieces when I was a kid. How long have these things existed? This just blew my mind.
Lol same. I even had a specific length I'd keep my thumb nails at just to make Lego disassembly easier
they've existed long enough that unless you're over 40 or so, they existed when you were a kid.
@@Lawrence330 no one ever told me but my dad also liked to mix all the bags of the set together because it would be too easy otherwise
I'm 30 now and I remember having them when I was a kid. I had no idea what they were for, and still used my fingernails. But I did have separators
@@roryglot427 That's just cruel.
Anybody else remember when Lego first started giving you these in their sets? They didn't tell you what it was for, and everyone was confused what it was.
The original version came out in 1990, and was discontinued in 2011. It came only in the largest of sets, and was made in both dark grey and in green. The updated version came out in 2012, and came in orange, dark turquoise, and green. It came with most medium sets and upwards. The wide version was introduced in 2020, and came only in mosaic sets. I believe the wide version was only made in black.
I actually knew what they were years before I got one because I was obsessed with Lego
When I got my first one in a lighthouse set, I thought it to be a ladder
I remember the original, I could never get it to work
Yea I remember
Lol I didn't know they existed, I always just used my teeth
alot of my old pieces have teeth marks lmfao
@@babuwiscaushakawe25 old?
Same as me and my kid we hate that separator
true, that was until i got a lego technique and started being less reckless lmao
I tried with my fingernails. You need a steady grip to be the latch to work.
One way to deal with the double 2 x 2 plate problem with the modern separator, is to put the bottom separator on only one stud, and the top separator on the other stud. That way you have enough room to pinch them together and have both plates come apart.
Ok, this blew my mind. I always had lego separators in my sets when I was a kid but never knew what they were called or what they were used for. The amount of bite marks my flat pieces had because I couldn’t get them off each other… one of my greatest childhood mysteries solved.
i thought it was a ski jet
Same 😅💀
Same
@@sagalhussein1088 same
Same
I would guess that they recommend using the separator right side up because the rails act as the fulcrum against the base plate. Using it upside down will make the studs on the base plate the fulcrum instead, which could damage the studs.
I was going to leave a comment about how the leverage is different based off the orientation, and I saw this comment expressing exactly what I wanted to say. It's definitely about making sure that the studs aren't put under stress, as they aren't designed to (as exemplified by their justifications for making "illegal" building illegal).
It’s an illegal separation technique for sure, but a useful one.
Well either way the studs will be put under near equivalent amounts of stress because no matter what the all of the resistance the will be going into the board either way. But if you use it upside down, you can use it like a wedge instead of a first-class lever to reduce stress on the studs
@@DarktideVtuber It's important to note that the reason for not applying pressure to the studs is not because of net force but because of structure. Applying downward force on the plate itself is safe because the plate is built to withstand it and the studs' connection to the plate is never being tested, whereas the upside down tool applies force at an angle to the stud, stressing the connection between stud and plate. In addition, that angled applied force increases the risk of shearing, especially for sharp 90° angles as seen on studs.
Do I think anyone will run into the problem of their studs breaking off due to the upside-down spudger method? Probably never. LEGO likes to play it safe, or at least by the books.
@@jo54763 If they put out a design that specifically did this, there would inevitably be damage and that damage would be Lego's fault. If you use illegal techniques, you know that any damage is your own fault.
When my younger brother and I were growing up and playing with Lego, they didn't have brick separators. When I got a little old for Legos, I stacked all my Legos neatly together, and then gave them to my younger brother, to add to his sets. Before I handed them over I showed our parents how organized they were. I amused myself a few days later by showing our parents that the neatly stacked Legos I had just given my younger brother a few days before, were now in a state of total chaos.😄
Several years ago my older brother was cleaning our very elderly father's garage out, and found a bucket full of Legos from the sets my younger brother and I used to have when we were growing up. My older brother gave the bucket of antique Legos to me. What makes them antique? I'm in my mid sixties. Funny thing is, since then I've used some of them to make useful things for my apartment. I also neatly stacked most of them. Wish I was as good at keeping my apartment organized.😄
Lego, and other toys like them are great for kids whether girls or boys, and yes, you can continue playing with them for your entire life. They are educational without being too teachy. They let you use your imagination, and they give people a chance to try out designing stuff.
Legos weren't around when my older brother was at the age to start playing with building games. He had Lincoln Logs and an Erector set. Kids will have fun with whatever brand of building set they have, unless they are addicted to electronic games.
One more thing. Building toys aren't gender specific. While more boys are into them than girls, there are plenty of girls who like to design and build stuff with these types of toys, myself included. Yes, I'm female.
Growing up, my younger brother and I didn't get along well. Lego was about the only thing we could stand to do together. That's another fun thing about building toys. You can play by yourself or with others.
I think Legos were among my favorite toys when I was growing up.🤗
Reading your comment gave me a warm feeling. My younger brother loved Lego too, and now as an adult he still builds with them sometimes!
E
@@EEEEEEEE thank u for the Ted talk
Female or woman?
@@user-rn3rn6nl3h theyre one and the same thing.
1:38 When you get hit in a LEGO 3D game and all your studs fly everywhere.
I remember getting a set once and didn’t notice the separator until weeks after opening the set. Didn’t bother looking it up and assumed it was a fancy lookin’ surfboard even though the set had nothing to do with the ocean, now the separator is lost 😔
That’s more easy than my teeth!!! Wait is that why my gums are decaying?
Stop eating Lego gummies before bed without brushing your teeth 💡
@@benm1414 did you watch my Lego gummy vid lol
I didn't see it offhand... But glad to know we found the source @@EzBricks_!
@@benm1414 yes!!
Teeth are the one thing more powerful than the brick seperator.
I don't use legos nor have I ever heard of this piece but damn that was an interesting video.
The thing that upsets me most is that literally NONE of the sets I ever bought had this tool.
All of the more expensive sets, like over 80 bucks have them
I think you can buy one seperate.
@@theuglydumpling4772just bought the lego home alone house for $300 and can confirm it does come with a brick separator
Same! 🥺
My local lego store have these at the cashier to take for free
The part where you take all the tiles off was so satisfying lol
I'd just bend the baseplate a little to remove such flat items.
another really good use for them is if repairing a laptop screen you can use them to remove the edge bezel around the screen to change a damaged or faulty LCD panel, it clips them off without damaging the clips that hold them together. it will not scratch the screen if removing the bezel to repair or replace screen hinges also. i keep one with my tools for doing repairs on laptops. sometimes you need one for laptop cases also when separating them after undoing all the screws.
I have one in my kit for dashboards and plastic trim on cars
This video is FANTASTICALLY crafted. You managed to give useful, interesting tips that I haven't seen before and very naturally worked in clips of your builds, which are GORGEOUS. Definitely subscribing; I want to see more 8D
ua-cam.com/video/ARMt924Q7lY/v-deo.html
All I got to say is, DAMN.. mind blown after seeing you remove flats no problem whatsoever
You just created a need for lego plate removal asmr lmao
Getting a ASMR vibe at 1:41, that looks so fun and relaxing!
Ai ahh comment
After sanding it, it might also be a good idea to swab it with a cotton ball soaked in acetone. I would worry about the sanding marks making it easier to scratch your bricks, and acetone could work to polish it more. But try this on a Lego brick or brick separator that you don't care about as a test dummy first.
Actually I would be really careful using acetone since it can destroy some plastics. Getting finer grit sandpaper for polishing might work better.
@@emilyemily9831 it would definitely melt the lego plastic. I watch a master builder who works for lego on tiktok and he uses acetone to slightly melt the pieces together like a glue.
@@Girasse oh wow that’s a really cool use of acetone! Thanks for backing me up!
@@emilyemily9831 that effect is what’s desirable in OP’s comment. By using a small amount of acetone to gently melt the plastic it will polish it without needing to buy finer sandpaper. This same process is used on new 3d printed parts to help smooth out surface finishes for a better looking product. 👍
@@emilyemily9831 Yes, the whole point is to slightly dissolve the plastic! But it can become excessive easily, which is why I suggest only dabbing it on with a cotton ball. Honestly, a light misting would be better.
People do this to ABS 3D prints all the time in the 3D printing world. Usually, you put an ABS part in a container with paper towels soaked I'm acetone. The volatility causes it to get everywhere and very gently dissolve the plastic superficially. Maybe a cotton ball is too aggressive compared to vapor.
1:06, it bugs me so much that you didn't push that sign piece down all the way.
Nah... that's how you should do ALL the pieces, so they can be easily separated without use of the tool! 😋
@@DedsecEric no...just no
As a child i used lego all the time... but i've never seen or even heard of a brick seperator before! Interesting stuff! And cool techniques!
same, i remember i used to use my mouth and nails to remove the bricks💀💀
They've existed for decades but they only started including them with the sets a few years ago
Brick separator? You mean your teeth?
I saw another comment that said they only came with the biggest sets when they were first introduced.
@@Zakariyasen exactly
2:16 Why did they change the design of the separator? The old one with an angle between the top and bottom surfaces seems much better design! I guess the newer version is easier to extract from the mold, that is cheaper, but is there any other good reason?
It also has the cross bar so you can extract pins and parts from technic sets
I’ve used both but the old one isn’t as good at separating pieces and can’t do as much since it doesn’t have have that little bit on the top for taking apart technic stuff.
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Lol really great guy, you should really give this new channel a chance ua-cam.com/video/hrS1hEur_tg/v-deo.html
As a person who was completely oblivious to the “lego separator” having even existed… I found this totally fascinating.
People that designed the tool inadvertently made it way better at what it was meant to do than expected. Nice.
I’m not sure if this is a recent invention or not, but regardless, this would’ve made my childhood ten times easier. The amount of times I placed a Lego in the wrong spot and could pick it up is unreal. And my nails and hands were struggling as I tried to dig under the block 😆. Glad they are including in sets now though!
Google says they were invented in 1990 but I never had one growing up in the 90s.
@@shereadsmysteries You had to order them directly from LEGO. It took months to arrive.
it was there from the beginning if you are ~30
@@kami3000 Nah, you could also buy them separately in some stores, or get them from sets like the 1879 bucket, which got released in 1992. Pretty sure I somehow ended up with 2 in the 90s, despite never having ordered anything from Lego directly.
@@ultru3525 Nice. I never saw them in sets.
Firstly; you can use two regular brick seporators to take apart the extremely difficult 2x2 or 1x2 plates apart. You need to press the serators together where it connects to the plates, and with your other hand, press the end of the handles together. This will open the plates up, and you can now pull them apart with ease.
Secondly; the first time I got a brick separator, it came with a Star Wars set of a First Order TIE Fighter (from 2015), and I initially thought it was the ladder for the minifigures to climb inside the cockpit...
Lol that’s hilarious
I would love to see a set that uses brick separators as elements!
Just started using the separator upside down relatively recently (maybe after seeing it in one of your videos, idk). BUT sometimes the axle prevents it from being used this way and the upside up way is necessary. Also, if you only have new separators and need to separate two 2x2 plates, just press at the bottom, near the fulcrum (right behind the axle) and it should work. Thanks for the video!
if you have an extra brick separator, just grind off the axle with a metal file. Only if it makes your building more efficient of course.
@@llnnie lol, I should do that. I only have a hundred of those things!
@@StonewallBricks yeah i think 100 might do
Or just put the 2 plates on a 2x4 brick and separate the 2 plates that way.
Same
I think part of the reason they tell you to use the end right side up is to stop pieces pinging off so much, which makes you more likely to lose pieces. When you did it properly the pieces came off much more controlled and moved maybe 2 or 3 studs away, while upside down they went flying off screen
actually if you checked at the beginning of the time stamp for that, he did it "the right way" and the piece also flew off the screen. So if anything, it would just come down to how much force you're applying to the seperator in the first place.
This is wild, I've never seen a brick separator before! Had no clue they existed
Bro ikr
That's cap
Same
Lol really great guy, you should really give this new channel a chance ua-cam.com/video/hrS1hEur_tg/v-deo.html
my people I'm not alone
1:47 pov: you killed someone in lego starwars
2:25 This trick totally does work with 2. I use this trick all the time! You need to hold the one on the bottom in the opposite direction (The other 2 studs) and then push down on the top brick like a lever. Hopefully this helps!'
Edit: This video explains it I bit better than I do: ua-cam.com/video/LBWgFCi7NLk/v-deo.html
Thank u!
When I was a kid, I used to remove stuck Legos with screw drivers or my teeth.
Thanks for sharing, although I knew most of the tricks already. I have not had any issues getting two small plates apart with two orange separators in the past - you also need to squeeze the ends holding the bricks a bit so they don’t pop off the bricks, but not too much to prevent them from prizing the bricks apart. Works for me! 👍🏻 (and besides I don’t have any old separators so that is not an option for me)
I can’t even remember where I got my old one, I’ve got sets across so many themes I couldn’t tell 🤣 it might have been rock raiders maybe.
Wow. I’m old. There was no brick separator when I was a kid. Maybe they had them in Denmark but I remember seeing one in print somewhere and I got really excited about it. It’s hard to believe they’ve gone through several iterations.
Same here. I remember a few years back my little brother got some legos and it came with one and I thought it was just a useless lego piece meant for decoration 🤣💀✋🏼
I always end up with the ole butter knife due to how this tool almost always lets me down.
That upside down trick is actually great. I'll be using it like that from now on.
2:26 actually of you offset the separators you can do that. One stud connected on the bottom, one on the top.
Woah, I've been buying Lego's for the past decade and I never ever once seen a Brick separator?
I have been buying the wrong boxes all these years... man this thing would make my life a whole lot easier!
I don't have lego's why did I watch this whole thing haha
Seym like wha?
lmao
A sense of disbelief. LOOK AT THAT CITY HE BUILT.
I clicked this video bc I honestly had no idea what that piece even was and I was curious; I got one when I purchased an off-brand Lego dice tower (shout out to my TTRPG nerds out there) and it didn’t explain what it was for. I have another dice tower I’m planning on building and knowing this may be super helpful! So long story short, thanks for this 😂
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Lol really great guy, you should really give this new channel a chance ua-cam.com/video/hrS1hEur_tg/v-deo.html
Haven’t bought a Lego set in about ten years, so I had no idea what that thing was. This was a very informative video.
All my brick separators always ended really worn down from usage, this actually really helps me and just makes things so much easier
These tricks are something the old Grey Fat brick separator could never do.
0:26 yeah, WITH MY TEETH
its currently almost 1am, this video came up on my feed and i haven't played with lego's in probably a year. i can confirm that this video is incredibly useful and entertaining
Uuuyy666
I really appreciate that you mentioned the old LEGO separator. I have 2 of them and will likely pass one down to my 8 year old niece come this holiday season. Good to know that the old and new work in conjunction.
This is such a good explanation on how to remove Lego pieces.
Easy to understand and concise. Thank you for making this video!!
Wow, great tips! Very satisfying to watch the big strip is quickly removed; defintly will try next time!
wow, sandpaper, who would have ever thought that one out
If it wasn’t for this video I would had used a bench grinder.
Lol really great guy, you should really give this new channel a chance ua-cam.com/video/hrS1hEur_tg/v-deo.html
Thank you, I didn't even know it was possible to seperate bricks without crying, brute force, hours of effort in vain and damaging as well my teeth and the bricks. It was EXTREMLY useful for the longevity of my legos (I'm quite old, in my childish days, seperators didn't exist, there were even the older street-system. (not the old one with grey baseplates, but the ultraold with green baseplates) I never stoped playing, but stayed as silly as like I was as kid IN TERMS OF LEGOs
I just use an old butter knife to separate bricks. Been doing it since the 90s
It's amazing how they make a tool to solve a problem, yet it works better in the opposite way.
These are actually very novel and useful tricks! Thank you!
ua-cam.com/video/ARMt924Q7lY/v-deo.html
Oh good, I'm not the only one who holds it upside down for tiles.
Do you know how many fingernails I’ve ripped off not using the brick separator? You just blew my mind!
Lego didn't lie, they were thinking like "engineers". The easiest way to do something is NEVER what they think of.
Bro I didn't know that was a brick separator and thought that was just a weird Lego piece until now💀
1:20 I discovered the technique awhile ago where you run the brick remover along the tiles. It is very quick BUT it can leave scratch marks on you baseplates. So be careful when using this.
he said that in the video
Your sets are so beautifully detailed! 👍
When I try to put stickers on my legos with my fingers I can find it pretty hard because I don’t always get or tell if the sticker is at the right angle or position to place it while holding on to it. So what I do is use the tip of the brick separator and place the sticker at the end so I can have a more better view and angle to place the sticker on the Lego piece.
Lol really great guy, you should really give this new channel a chance ua-cam.com/video/hrS1hEur_tg/v-deo.html
I never knew these were brick separators, I always thought they were seats for bikes and shit like that, like a motorcycle or something.
@1:20 Absolutely . Satisfying OMG
When popping tiles from a large area using the sliding technique, wear eye protection.
Just tell everybody you're really into the pirate sets and you should be fine.
@@SmallSpoonBrigade Until you lose your other eye
2:27 Try offsetting the 2 separators. I know it works great for 1x2 plates.
Younger me thought the brick separator was a Treadmill
When I was a kid, this tool would've done wonders. Instead I was in the medicine cabinet looking for bandaids cuz of all the scraps finger tips. Nothing beats ol elbow and finger tip grease lol
Lol really great guy, you should really give this new channel a chance ua-cam.com/video/hrS1hEur_tg/v-deo.html
2:38 I’ve been using this trick for years now
1:27 oddly satisfying. Gives me goosebumps.
Seeing that old separator unlocked some memories I didn't know I had. I don't think I knew it was for separating bricks, but I'm pretty sure I had a gray one of those...
I knew they were lying all along! Thank you for exposing this conspiracy. It's long over due.
Those are awesome recommendations! Thanks
1:52 new form of ASMR?
Back in my younger days - I’d use my teeth to get legos apart. Cost effective method
Thanks for the tips! These are going to be super helpful next time I'm building!
0:10 My man is removing darkred tiles, without fear of breaking them. That's living on the edge!
You know what’s more scary? Trying to do the same thing with brown tiles
I have four Technic sets. None of them came with a brick separator - my fingernails are not happy. I did order a couple of them with my last set purchase, however. Can't wait until they get here! Thanks for these really great tips!
Your LEGO collection looks amazing! My siblings and I had the moon base sets growing up. We would put them together and take them apart all the time
I manage the large Lego collection of my boys (age 6 and 4), periodically taking apart partial builds and putting away all the pieces using my patented categorization system 😜 (it involves a lot of organizers with plastic drawers!!). These tips are so helpful. The brick separators changed my life, and you just made them that much more valuable! (Especially when it comes to separating those 2x2s - bain of my life!!!)
Imagine being legally allowed to own a brick separator
This is an amazing vid 👍😊
I was a Lego FREAK in the 80s and 90s and never saw one of these things.
Growing up, all my lego was super old. It was mostly my dad’s Lego from when he was a kid. The only proper set I had was that original space set with the spaceman that was in the Lego movie. I had a couple new sets too but they were like really small Lego city ones. I never had a brick separator since most of my Lego was from before their invitation or the set was too small for It’s inclusion. Playing with lego for me just meant it was impossible to separate blocks and you would have to spend 5 minutes just trying to get your nail under it to pull it up. I recently got a new, bigger set and it came with a brick separator. Let me tell you, that thing is amazing. It’s so easy to separate blocks!
Everyone rewind this video back to 1:30 it is so satisfying
2:58 MMMMM microplastics 😋😋
Lol
I wonder how my nails survived my childhood Lego in 90s in 2000s haha
I use mine all the time and knew most of these just from use, but the one to remove large areas of tile I'm definitely going to use as I didn't know it! And I never thought to use sandpaper either! Thank you!!!
You can separate two flat pieces with two regular brick separators! Out one on top on one side and one on the bottoms on the other side! ☑️
Pog
2:00 Or you twist the base plate an little
That thing looks like LEGO came up with a devious plan to induce as much pain as possible once stepped on
0:06 satisfying moment