A flame test uses a piece of nichrome wire.

You dip the end of the wire in concentrated hydrochloric acid

and then hold it in a hot bunsen flame.
If the wire is not contaminated, the colour of the flame will not
change.
If the flame changes colour, dip the wire in
concentrated hydrochloric acid again and return it to the bunsen
flame.
Repeat this procedure until the wire shows no change of colour in
the flame.
Now dip the end of the wire in concentrated hydrochloric acid
and put the wire into the solid which you are using for
the flame test.
A small amount of the metal chloride will form on the wire.
Hold the wire in the flame and see what colour is produced.
The table below shows which colours are produced by
some metal ions.
Metal Ion
Lithium Li+
Sodium Na+
Potassium K+
Calcium Ca2+
Barium Ba2+
Copper Cu2+

Flame Colour
Red
Yellow/Orange
Lilac
Brick Red
Light Green
Blue/Green

Most hydroxides are insoluble.

A few drops of sodium hydroxide solution
are added to the solution containing the positive ions.
If no precipitate is formed, the metal ion is sodium or potassium.
These can be distinguished using a flame test.
Ammonium ions also do not give
a precipitate with sodium hydroxide.
If a flame test on the solid shows no colour
and there is no precipitate with sodium hydroxide solution

then the positive ion is probably ammonium NH4+.

If the solution is heated, ammonia gas will be produced.
If a precipitate is formed, it may be white or coloured.
The table below shows how to identify the metal ion.
Metal Ion
Aluminium Al3+
Calcium Ca2+
Magnesium Mg2+
Copper Cu2+
Iron Fe2+
Iron Fe3+

Precipitate
White
White
White
Blue
Green
Brown (rust)

If you get a white precipitate, add more sodium hydroxide solution

and the aluminium precipitate will dissolve.
If the white precipitate does not dissolve then the metal ion
is calcium or magnesium.
These can be distinguished using a flame test
(magnesium ions have no flame colour).
The next page shows the chemistry of these reactions.