Dave, this is an image of an F1 and a firesteel being used to light some birch bark. It was posted by Neil1, this is what you will need in the way of a spark to get it going, if your birch bark doesn't catch try interspersing it with thistle down or a lighter form of tinder, this way if the bark doesn't go the other stuff probably will.
With cotton wool I used to blow into it before I tried to light it, method blow into it, tease it up and then use the firesteel on it by placing the steel actually on the cotton wool (it will form a little hollow) and then using the area on the spine of the knife close to the tip of the blade and using a lot of force push the knife slowly towards the tinder. The resulting shower of sparks is quite intense and prolonged, the cotton wool more or less explodes into a life of flame.
For more difficult tinders (cloth and some fungi) try holding the tinder against the spine of the blade and striking the firesteel through the tinder, with this you may have to nurse an ember and if you are having trouble with your cotton wool try this method with cotton wool.
As an alternative you could use fine grade wirewool, with this you will almost certainly have to nurse an ember, but once it is burning it throws out a lot of heat.
All the best in your search for the eternal flame :biggthump