best way to cut Tx case padding?

[summerwind]

hey gang, need your help here.
i just bought a new Futaba (http://www.rcuniverse.com/buynow/keywordclick.cfm?bid_id=96) radio and the aluminum case that came with has the foam padding cut to fit the Tx with a normal antenna. this version is setup with a 2.4Ghz antenna which will slant down, so length isn't the problem, but it does need additional room above the Tx to fit without having to dismount the module.
do any of you have some suggestion on cutting the foam so i don't end up with what looks like a chainsaw job?

[Jakeofall]

If you can remove the foam, layout were you want to cut then compress the foam as flat as you can on a board or a basement floor. Using a utility knife cut the recess you need. If you can't remove the foam you can try this next trick. Let some water absorb into the foam and place it in the freezer. Once the water has frozen you can use a sharp knife to make the recess you need. The frozen foam will be easier to make a nice straight cut.

[Migs]

Another way to get a "perfect" cut (better than a knife) is to use hot wire. If you have a stiff wire (like galvanized steel wire), heat it in the oven (I use a little blow torch), hold it with pliers and cut the shape. You can also bend the wire around a fat tube to give it shape, and use this bent and heated tube to cut the foam. Some hobby stores also sell a heated wire gun to do this.

[summerwind]

thx for the help......the surgery went fine and i used a combination of the serrated knife and a sharp utility blade on the Futaba foam.
on another note i sure feel anal right now.......in my youth (physically) i would have done a scissor job.

[Migs]

summerwind:
The beauty of aging shines through experience and incorporates better ways of doing things. What was acceptable once is no longer. Change is everywhere. -Migs