Casting help for newbies by a newbie (long) part 1

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When I received my Shiloh last January, I knew a “little” about casting bullets. A few years prior, I had bought the Lyman “Master” casting kit, which included a small pot, a dipper, and an ingot mold. I purchased a Lyman mould in .357 and proceeded to cast bullets. As you can imagine, the results were not good, but I didn’t know any better. When I got my Shiloh, I read a little about casting, (I bought three of the Mathew’s BPCR books including “Casting Premium Bullets for the Black Powder Rifle”), I bought a Lyman “Postel” mould, and began casting. The results were little better.
Fast forward one year.
By January I realized I have only put about 120 rounds through my pride and joy over the last year because of a lack of quality bullets (I would often reject 100% of my cast bullets). Something had to change! I spent a lot of time studying my casting technique, and I picked up a few “pearls” ( that’s for you Rdneck ( I read the ENTIRE Shooter’s archive before it died, you always give great advice, but I needed about a year of shooting before I understood what you were are saying, THANK YOU)).
Here is my basic setup:
• RCBS Master casting pot. 800 watts
IMHO Don’t bother getting anything less powerful than 800 watts. You will spend forever getting the lead up to temp, and you will have a hard time keeping it there.
I don’t like a propane stove or cooker, it’s just too d*mn hot to work over!
• Lyman dipper
I have taken my dipper and filed the spout so it fits the mould hole better
VERY IMPROTANT
I have also drilled the hole out to 3/16
• Lyman casting thermometer
• Student hot plate ( little electric stove top, single) with a piece of ¼ steel 6”X6” for on top
• Folded up towel
• Carpenter’s pencil to scrap lead off of mould faces
• Wooden hammer handle
• Brake cleaner or carburetor cleaner
• Cardboard box
• Small clock with second hand
• Beeswax
• Five gallon bucket
• Welding gloves
• Welding sleeves (kind of a half leather shirt that covers my arms but not my body)
• Full plastic face shield