Originally Posted by Bill Kapaun

Good!
When you do-
Get a GOOD spoke wrench. The "one size fits all" will spread open on a tight nipple. After that, it tends to round off nipples because thew slot has become tapered instead of "square".
Don't get too bad of a basket case wheel. They'll drive competent wheel builders to wits end.
Frozen/tight nipples can strip and at the best still provide a poor sense of feel. You can be rounding a nipple on a loose spoke. Tight, but no tension.

You might actually be better off buying one of those $30-35 replacement wheels that actually would fit your bike. That way you could have a usable "spare".
New spokes & nipples, and a good sense of feel when turning the spoke wrench.
It'd probably save you that much $ in frustration.