TE16 capstan roller is very sticky -- what to do?

[...] I have used 1/2" tygon tubing from the local hardware store (think "large aquarium hose") to refurb DEC TU58 drives (same tapes, same capstan, same melting problem). I got a foot of it a few years ago and have yet to run out (even though between HP line analyers, VAXen, and a VT103, I have nearly a dozen drives to overhaul).

In the plumbing department at Home Depot I found some stuff called Magic Wrap, it's a roll of very thin rubber 1" x 16'. I cut a 2" x 1/4" piece of this stuff stretched it out to about the width of the roller then wrapped it around (several turns) the cleaned off roller as tight as I could. Then I smoothed it out by spinning the drive wheel at high speed and grinding down the rubber with an emery board. This sort of melts the rubber and fusses it to itself getting rid of the overlap and making the whole thing perfectly symmetric. To spin the drive wheel I disconnected one of the motor leads and put it on a variable power supply. You can use up to 12 volts but I found 5 or 6 volts ran the wheel plenty fast with tons of torque. Basically, you want to use it like a lathe and I found that the tape head makes a good tool rest!

I use 3/8" latex tubing from Lowes Hardware and LockTite glue. I also leave the capstan on the motor during the repair.