Answers.Body: <p>Pop them apart with a pocket knife (don't cut yourself!) should work just fine. A note for next time, put them together with one row of each piece exposed to make it easier for you.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2023-04-20T05:47:53.427Z
Answers.Text: Were I to try this method, I would use a butter knife; a sharp knife would easily damage the plates.
Answers.UserDisplayName: RSchulz
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2023-04-20T09:30:51.937Z
Answers.Text: Won't that damage the plates?
Answers.UserDisplayName: Tuzi
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2023-04-20T15:35:38.507Z
Answers.Text: While this have a high chance of damaging parts, the thinner the blade of the knife the easier it is to get parts separated.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Alex
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2023-04-20T17:23:30.173Z
Answers.Text: Keeping stacks of plates with each layer offset by one stud is a great way to store LEGO plates.
Answers.UserDisplayName: chicks
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2023-04-20T03:29:04.423Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2023-04-20T03:29:04.423Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Andrea
Answers.Body: <p>4x4 plates might be the worst-case scenario - larger plates flex a lot and so can be twisted apart; smaller plates can't bind as much because the have fewer studs. I had this problem, and it required multiple brick separators - typically two on top, two on the bottom, and one or two along the edges to try to pry the plates apart. Next time, you should consider off-setting your plates by one stud so that they are not fully attached.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2023-06-19T21:08:25.353Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2023-06-19T21:08:25.353Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Mr. Shiny and New 安宇
Answers.Body: <p>Try using a pair (or possibly three) longer 4-wide plates (4x8, 4x10), attaching them on a offset- gripping 12 of the 16 studs of your 4x4's. The longer plates should give your hand and arm something decent to hold on to, and you may be able to get some twisting and prying action because of the good grip provided by new elements, and the fact that you won't need to be pressing down on the whole stack.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2023-06-27T09:57:37.920Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2023-06-27T09:57:37.920Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Chris Harrison
Answers.Body: <p>Dental floss works quite well.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2023-04-20T10:23:53.370Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2023-04-20T10:23:53.370Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Michael Verschaeve
Body: <p>Earlier this week I bought roughly 200 <a href="https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=3031" rel="nofollow noreferrer">4x4 plates</a> from the Pick A Brick wall at my favorite LEGO store. Greed got the better of me, and to fill up my PAB cups as much as possible, I stacked the plates tightly onto each other:</p>
  <p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/9hvnn.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/9hvnn.png" alt="PAB cup with two stacks of 4x4 plates" /></a></p>
  <p>Now that I'm back home, <strong>how do I take these apart easily without breaking my nails?</strong> I don't get enough leverage using a LEGO brick separator, and using the flat end to pry apart plates is damaging the separator a lot.</p>
  
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2023-04-20T01:56:28.087Z
Comments.Text: Have you tried, and hear me out here, **two** brick separators side-by-side?
Comments.UserDisplayName: RSchulz
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2023-04-20T09:30:29.157Z
Comments.Text: @RSchulz yeah, even tried more than two - It's hard to get good leverage and I end up having to use the flat end every time.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Tuzi
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2023-04-20T13:33:29.907Z
Comments.Text: In such a situation I'd try using a larger plate. Stick it on top of the stack and try to pry one or more 4x4s off with its leverage.
Comments.UserDisplayName: zovits
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2023-04-20T14:54:15.187Z
Comments.Text: Do you have a zillion brick separators? Maybe just sacrifice one for this task, and then next time, remember that this particular form of greed probably doesn't pay off.
Comments.UserDisplayName: RSchulz
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2023-04-24T21:01:31.483Z
Comments.Text: Do not use brick separators for plates - they can easily damage the plates by stressing the plastic. I had several plates break this way. Nowadays I try to avoid putting large plates directly on each other and use smaller plates in-between them.
Comments.UserDisplayName: xxbbcc
Tags: <brick-separator>
Title: How can I easily take apart stacks of 4x4 plates?
UserDisplayName: Tuzi
ThreadText: # How can I easily take apart stacks of 4x4 plates?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2023-04-19)
  
  Earlier this week I bought roughly 200 [4x4 plates](https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=3031) from the Pick A Brick wall at my favorite LEGO store. Greed got the better of me, and to fill up my PAB cups as much as possible, I stacked the plates tightly onto each other:
  
  [![PAB cup with two stacks of 4x4 plates](https://i.sstatic.net/9hvnn.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/9hvnn.png)
  
  Now that I'm back home, **how do I take these apart easily without breaking my nails?** I don't get enough leverage using a LEGO brick separator, and using the flat end to pry apart plates is damaging the separator a lot.
  
  **Tags:** brick-separator
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_1**: Have you tried, and hear me out here, **two** brick separators side-by-side?  
  > **username_0**: @RSchulz yeah, even tried more than two - It's hard to get good leverage and I end up having to use the flat end every time.  
  > **username_2**: In such a situation I'd try using a larger plate. Stick it on top of the stack and try to pry one or more 4x4s off with its leverage.  
  > **username_1**: Do you have a zillion brick separators? Maybe just sacrifice one for this task, and then next time, remember that this particular form of greed probably doesn't pay off.  
  > **username_3**: Do not use brick separators for plates - they can easily damage the plates by stressing the plastic. I had several plates break this way. Nowadays I try to avoid putting large plates directly on each other and use smaller plates in-between them.  
  
  ---
  
  ## 4 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_4 on 2023-04-20. Score: 5 | Accepted answer
  
  Pop them apart with a pocket knife (don't cut yourself!) should work just fine. A note for next time, put them together with one row of each piece exposed to make it easier for you.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_1**: Were I to try this method, I would use a butter knife; a sharp knife would easily damage the plates.  
  > **username_0**: Won't that damage the plates?  
  > **username_5**: While this have a high chance of damaging parts, the thinner the blade of the knife the easier it is to get parts separated.  
  > **username_6**: Keeping stacks of plates with each layer offset by one stud is a great way to store LEGO plates.  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_7 on 2023-06-19. Score: 3
  
  4x4 plates might be the worst-case scenario - larger plates flex a lot and so can be twisted apart; smaller plates can't bind as much because the have fewer studs. I had this problem, and it required multiple brick separators - typically two on top, two on the bottom, and one or two along the edges to try to pry the plates apart. Next time, you should consider off-setting your plates by one stud so that they are not fully attached.
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_8 on 2023-06-27. Score: 3
  
  Try using a pair (or possibly three) longer 4-wide plates (4x8, 4x10), attaching them on a offset- gripping 12 of the 16 studs of your 4x4's. The longer plates should give your hand and arm something decent to hold on to, and you may be able to get some twisting and prying action because of the good grip provided by new elements, and the fact that you won't need to be pressing down on the whole stack.
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_9 on 2023-04-20. Score: 2
  
  Dental floss works quite well.
  
  
  ---
  
  