i also had lighting problems when i first started, i found that my main problem was the lighter i was using... i started using a typical cheap lighter but once i switched to a butane my problems were solved... by far the best investment ive made... also i prefer larger ring gauges and found that having a butane with 2 instead of 1 flame has worked better for me...



This is my current lighter:

http://www.elighters.com/l2730.html