John Leeke wrote:  "Basically, if the material which the paint is applied
     to is grounded (I.E. concrete or cement, stone, ect.) the strong high
     frequency electrical fields which are produced by the tesla coil will
     polarize the paint next on the grounded surface (or really any surface).
     This polarization reverses at a high frequency causing mechanical stresses
     between the surface and the paint. Eventually the weakend bond breaks under
     the intense electrical fields and the paint "pops" off. Also thermal
     expansion of moisture in the base material can cause the paint to peel off
     from the coil as the RF energy produced causes moisture to vaporize."

     Is this related to a process I heard about that can be used to prevent
     deterioration of concrete in ocean-front buildings?  The lecture was about
     spectacular and rapidly deteriorating 50s buildings in Havana, but the same
     would probably apply to Miami Beach and other such places.  The process had
     something to do with using an electrical current to change the positive
     charge on the concrete to negative (or maybe the other way round, I'm not
     very good at physics!), which apparently inhibits the deterioration due to
     the salt in the air, or something like that.  The architect I heard seemed
     to be saying that that (very expensive) process is virtually the only way
     to save concrete structures near the ocean.

     As you can tell, I didn't understand all of this, but was interested both
     because of the process and because I didn't know that these buildings
     essentially couldn't be saved otherwise.

     Anyone know anything about this??

     Marilyn Harper
     National Register of Historic Places
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