Have to agree, scuff the diff plates on wet & dry paper - some say use toothpaste as well as that helps, although i've never tried it myself. When rebuilding the diff i always take everything apart & put it into an old camera film canister full of WD40 to degrease everything & wipe each part with kitchen paper or loo roll.. putting the diff back together with old oil & grease still hanging around on the parts makes very good grinding paste that will kill your diff in no time.
You can use a blob of grease or even some old shock oil so the plates stick to the outdrive when building, i now use diff oil (not grease) to initially coat the outdrives & also to cover the diff balls by soaking them in a spoonfull but any thin oil should suffice - tun an old coke can upside down & the little well in the bottom provides a handy container to drizzle some oil in & dunk your plates & diff balls during assembly & to roll the diff balls in the oil for a few seconds. I used to use baby oil (as it does the job & is in plentiful supply from pretty much anywhere), just so i know the parts are lubricated enough until the grease works it's way in when it's all put together & sealed with grease inside.
Use plenty of moly or teflon grease on the thrust bearings as well until you know it's worked in. I'm finding when the diff goes gritty it's more as a result of crud in the thrust bearing than actually in the diff itself, so keep a spare in your pitbox as i would always consider replacing a thrust bearing each time you do a major diff clean & rebuild.
I always use either regular RC type silicone grease, Halfords teflon cycle grease or just use the Ansmann high speed diff grease (the red one, not the coffee coloured grease) which is pretty similar if not the same as teflon cycle grease to rebuild the diff itself. The choice of grease is more personal preference but can be quite a tuning aid as different consistency grease will have a different result in how the diff feels as does the amount you use.
I also use a small drop of baby oil or thin shock oil (this is where that tub of near useless 20wt shock oil in the kit comes in handy) just drizzled over the outer gear just to coat the mesh a little until it beds in. I know opinion on this is divided, about oiling the idler & layshaft gears some say you should, some say you shouldn't, but i find just a drop helps to keep things cool while bedding it in & unlike grease doesn't cause drag.
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