Bob Dubery wrote
Can one just puff the graphite powder into the grooves on the neck? Or do you need to mask off the fingerboard first?
No masking needed, just lift the strings out of the slots, puff the graphite in (or "draw" in the slots with the pencil tip) and put the strings back.
with a minuscule, minute, almost non-visable amount of Vaseline
I'll be honest, I hate using sticky stuff like Vaseline - I find it builds up in string windings and shortens the life of the strings. Lots of guys do it with great success though, so YMMV.
