Grease your nipples?

[Reluctant]

I'd avoid alloy nips altogether. The look funky, but aren't as strong and seize in pretty short periods of time. The problems they cause aren't worth the small weight saving. Brass is king.
I tend to use a blib of grease in the inside of the rim eyelet, to allow the nipple to still move easily as you're adding tension, and a light squirt of GT87 on the spoke threads. Linseed oil is also good, lubes then drys and binds; but still moves when you want it to, unlike some threadlocks.

 

[retrobate]

Nipples

I always use copper slip or never sieze when building with Al nipples. The nipples still turn freely on wheels I built 10 years ago.
Put the copper slip on the spoke threads.

 

[bm0p700f]

^+1 that's the way to do it.

I have found some brass nipples to be weaker than the ally ones, which is a problem on a depply dished rear wheel.

 

[02gf74]

pity they do not sell orange ones. I paid £ 12 for 80 off ebay.

 

[wackywacerwill]

Yep, keep them nips lubed. It stops them cracking.

 

[Loki]

This is what I use, was around $6.00-9.00 USD for
8 FL OZ; NAPA Item #765-1674 Anti-Seize lubricant.
That is also a Permatex number.

 

[retroyetirigid]

I always grease the threads of the spokes, lace the wheel up then oil the nipples with chain lube, weather its alloy or brass. I've built wheels like this for about 20 years (still got my 1st ever build) and never had a seized nipple.

 

[mangohead]

When I build with alloy nipples I always put a drop of wax lube under the shoulder of the nipple which I feed through the inside (closest to hub) edge of the rim eylet once there is a little bit of tension in the spokes.This minimises the friction between the spoke and rim but unlike lubricating the thread itself, it still lets you sense when the spoke is becoming overly tight. When the wheel is finished I put a drop of the same wax lube through the centre of the nipple onto the thread to prevent corrosion further down the line. Of course if I want to build a really good wheel I put the alloy nipples to one side and use brass ones instead.