One 'secret' I've not used, but find interesting is to use *lard* as spoke prep; I found this doing research on the web.
As a novice I cling to Jobst's The Bicycle Wheel which is against any kind of spoke prep and recommends using just plain motor oil (30w). Plenty info on this topic on rec.bicycles.tech
Paolo Sant'Ambrogio Santa Monica, CA
'85 Pinarello Montello, SR, LSX (Mavic MA2, 36, 3 cross DT 2.0-1.8, brass) '03 Mondonico Foco, Record 10