MATERIALS AND METHODS
Preparation of gypsum blocks
Gypsum blocks were prepared from CaSO 4" 2H20, commonly called
gypsum or Plaster of Paris, by a modification of the procedure of Dory
(1971). Plaster of Paris (Bondex International, St Louis, Missouri) was
thoroughly blended to remove lumps, and 2000 g of Plaster of Paris and
2000 mi of tap water were placed in an 8-liter bucket and stirred for 2
min. Five ice cube trays (Rubbermaid, Part No. 2865) were completely
filled from each batch of gypsum. Each tray had 14 cubes. The trays
were vigorously tapped on the counter top to remove all air bubbles, and
set aside for 24 h at room temperature to harden. After hardening, the
trays were baked in a drying oven for 24 h at 50-60°C. Gypsum blocks
were removed from trays and left on a laboratory bench top for 48 h to
equilibrate with moisture in the air. Blocks were sanded to remove rough
edges using a 6-in bench grinder with a coarse-grit grinding wheel (Black
& Decker, Hunt Valley, Maryland). Sufficient gypsum was removed to
produce a block which weighed 28 + 0.5 g. Stiff, flexible, plastic sheets
(0"5 nun thick) were cut into 6 x 7 cm plastic cards. Gypsum blocks were
glued to the cards with waterproof contact cement (3M Corporation,
Minneapolis, Minnesota). A completed gypsum block is shown in Fig. 1.
The cement was allowed to dry for 24 h, and the gypsum blocks were
weighed to the nearest 0"01 g with a top-loading balance. The initial
weights were written directly on the plastic cards with a fine-point,
permanent marker.