Oil/Anti-seize on outside of nipple when building a wheel? I just took apart my old wheelset which let some delightful snaps out as I loosened the nipples that were seized to the rims. I'm wondering what the benefits would be of a small amount of anti-seize or lithium/dry graphite lubricant on the outside of the nipples where they contact the eyelets of the rims. I realize I wouldn't want it on the spoke threads, because I don't want them to come loose, so I'll be using Wheelsmith spoke prep which acts as loctite on the spoke threads.

So, would it be of any consequence to have some anti-seize / lubricant around the nipples? It would prevent any corrosion between the metals, and also allow easier truing, and the nipples can slide past the eyelets better before the loctite sets.

It could be that the added friction between the nipple and eyelets is beneficial, though, and this might help the nipples loosen even with the spoke prep / loctite solution. Anyone tried it, or have some wisdom???
Threads are a locking mechanism. The issue is simply the threads are easily damaged and do not properly tighten. They can distort from over tightening, crack ect. To say anti seize does not lubricate is nonsense, that's exactly what it does. It allows the threads slip, tightening properly. The pops you hear removing the nipples are the threads gripping each other and your torque is wasted twisting the spoke instead of loosening the threads. This happens when tightening them as well to a lesser degree as they have not had time to corrode together. The nipple is hard to turn but part of the force is wasted on friction and not all the torque is spent on tightening the spoke. To over come you need to waste a lot of energy and again, risk damaging the threads. Not every lubricant is gooey or slippery in your fingers. Ever heard of brass?