2. Pack a quarter teaspoon measure with each material to be
tested.

3. Invert the spoon on to test dish being careful to retain the
spoon shape. Observe and record the shape which each
material retains in this dry state.

4, Fire to your temperature.

This type of test is known as a fusion button. Compare the
material before and aftercommitting to the fire. Did the
material retain the spoon shape when inverted on to the dish?
Or did it fall apart? Is it glassy or does it look like it did
before firing? How does it compare with other materials fired
at the same temperature? Finally, how does it compare to the
written characteristic stated in Nelson's book?

After careful observation of the fired tests and simultaneous
study of the written material, make an educated guess of two
materials which might blend to form a glaze. Keep in mind the
three necessary components and run a line blend of several of
these groups -

Flux, stiffener and glass former.
To help in your selection you might choose to blend one
material which fired with an active melt with one that showed
little or no activity at that temperature. Mix your blends dry
in the test cup using the following blends:

material a7 F a7 50 i
A —> | 0, (20)(40)( 0, (is) (2}<natra B
You need not test the first and last tiles in this sequence

(100% of one material) because they were already tested in
the first stage of the experiment. In the beginning stages it
is wise to dry mix the materials for this method does not mix
them as well as the wet mix, therefore you get more informa-
tion about the nature of the materials. After doing several
tests dry, begin blending the materials with water for more
reliable testing.

You will notice that each test totals 100 which converts easily
to percentage and grams. For these tests 1 gram of material is
sufficient so you will be measuring .2 grams and .8 grams for
the first test.