A system and method for altering the properties of a material by exposure of the material to a magnetic field is described herein. The method comprises generating a magnetic field; exposing a material to the magnetic field, and determining the optimum settings of the magnetic field parameters for the particular material. The magnetic field may be time varying or time invariant. Various properties of the magnetic field can be altered to determine the optimum settings for altering the material properties, including the amplitude, frequency, and waveform. In one embodiment, a method for improving the conductivity of a transmission line is provided, comprising: providing a high voltage electrical transmission line; temporarily installing a magnetic field generator along at least a portion of the transmission line; and generating a pulsed magnetic field around at least a portion of the transmission line using the magnetic field generator and simultaneously running a current through the transmission line.