I bought pencils and a kneaded eraser. The eraser has such a strong smell that I can hardly use it.

Are they all this poignant?
Is there any brand that's particularly neutral?

Seems like the one that is carried in most stores near me is Design .. never noticed any over powering smell from it..

Yes, that is the kind I have.

I think they all smell a little funny at first, but it fades after a little while. There's an alternative to kneaded erasers called Blue-Tac. It's a type of wall putty, but is said to work miracles on graphite. Haven't bought any yet so not sure what it smells like.

Ooh, I have some of that sort of wall putty. I just might try it. Thank you!

Good luck, let me know how it works. From what I've read, you should NOT rub the paper like you do with an eraser, but simply dab or roll over the paper, and the graphite should lift right off.

I had some Scotch brand 'reusable adhesive putty', which is very similar to Blue-Tac. It worked about as well as the kneaded eraser, and even had an impact on some lines that the kneaded eraser didn't. Seems to fill up a bit faster / not be quite as easy to work with, but it doesn't smell, and it does erase. Thanks, Mindy!

So glad it worked out. What a great experiment.