Frustrated

[Kurt]

Kevin as your casting time goes on you will make adjustments the way you cast and the equipment.
I don't use a thermometer I watch the sprue puddle as it grays. The casting temp and the mould temp is just about right when the puddle sets at a bout a 4 to 5 count. What I use for the casting temperature is what the bottom of the sprue puddle looks like. When the alloy gets to hot you will see frosting under the puddle like galvanizing. a little is ok but when it gets to pronounced and the bullet starts to get frosted the alloy is way to hot. The more tin in your alloy the lower the casting temperature.
As far as the worry about the hot lead. Don't dip a cold ladle in the melted alloy especially if you cast outside. A cold ladle will sweat, what I mean with this is moisture in the air and on the ladle will surface and when the ladle is submerged that moisture will turn to steam and blow. The first sign when this will happen you will feel the ladle vibrate or at a extreme you will feel the lead rumble and at this point you will have a lead overcoat.
During my almost 40 years working as a Plumber I have never had a pot blow out from sweat drops, rain drops or water drops leaking through a floor during rain. The water drops will never submerge the molten lead they will vaporize before or on contact. The only time a pot got blown out was from a hail stone or a heavy flow of water when a cold ingot or cold ladle was put in the pot. Always let what ever you put in a pot heat up by laying it on the rim first.
All the years with heavy use of lead in the plumbing trades my lead level was never elevated in all tests I had. Just don't ingest the lead when eating a donut or rub your eyes or pick your nose. If you cast outside don't stand down wind or up wind of your pot stand at the side of the pot. if your worried about fumes.
Kurt