Since you have the foam filled stuff it's a little more difficult to
trim away the center so I'd use a utility knife to make a slit along
each side and pull the wires out. Then just cut away the remaining
center carcass. Finally, attach the leads to the wire leads or screw
terminals of the matching transformer.




Thanks everyone for the info. One piece is still missing (at least
for me) - how do you actually strip a clean cut twin-lead wire?
Beachcomber's retelling of his father's method - burn everything
around the wires - sounds good, except that if I do that in the
basement (where the wire terminates and air circulation is minimal) -
the resulting smell will probably be grounds for divorce and a major
violation of zoning regulations

Nevertheless, I'm willing to use that method as a last resort.
Question - is it actually the last resort?