Replace roller rubber on HP 9825 tape drive

I'm trying to repair the tape drive in an HP 9825. The roller has melted (no surprise there). It seems like I could just get a bit of silicon tubing or something that has the same diameter and guage as the existing roller. I know this has been discussed before but I can't find any specific messages (by the way, the CC archive search is broken, Jay). Can anyone provide any tips or guidance so I don't have to re-learn mistakes already made? Any tips for cleaning off the existing material? Isopropyl alcohol? Any thoughts of using heatshrink tubing and applying multiple layers until it has the same thickness as the original roller? Thanks for any help. This will be a candidate for adding to the knowledge base once I've successfully replaced the roller.