Dave - too much vasoline. Try this: Fluff up a DRY cotton ball (no goop) and hit it with the sparks (put the blade edge where you want the sparks and pull the rod away - it is easier after a little practice). You may "get it" on the first try or the 50th try, but once you "get it", try it again right away until you can reliably ignite a plain cotton ball (all fluffed up) most of the time on the first or second try - it comes fast after a few successes.

The vasoline merely extends the burn time - and perhaps it lends some water resistance. If the vasoline is melted to a clear liquid, soak a ball and squeeze it as "dry" as you can with your fingers - really hard. Be careful, as that is about the max temp I can tolerate without scalding myself - YMMV. There should be a compacted blob of cotton ball with little or no excess vasoline left. Just fluff one of those up and spark it - the extension on the burn time is impressive and they are no harder to light.

BTW, I use a double boiler - a soup can in a sauce pan of water works, as does the original container - because I KNOW the hottest the melted vasoline can be is the local BP of water - you could get a higher (finger-frying) temp in the microwave, I suspect. As soon as the vasoline melts clear, I take it off the stove and use it.

Or you can take a dab about the size of a pea and work it completely into a cotton ball - it's a fair bit more work and to do it well you have to tear apart the cotton ball to get it impregnated all the way thru, but that works as well. If you've got perceptable bits of vasoline afterwards, it was too much - you're after a greasy cotton ball, not a blob of grease reinforced with cotton.

HTH,

Tom