I was casting today and just for fun tried out the integral mold on a 100+ year old Ideal hand tool. It took a while to get up to good casting temp due to the steel mass. But once it warmed up to it dropped beautiful bullets. With 96/3/1 alloy, they came out at .322"-.3225" diameter and 163gr.  Got some loaded up and ready for the range. Ol Mr. Barlow knew what he was doing when he designed this tool

They do get hot and the bigger the bullet, the quicker they heat up. I use my tong tool molds in the winter when I want to work in my shop. I turn the shop heater on and fire up the propane burner I use to heat lead up with. When the lead melts, I cast 50 or 75 bullets (using a welding glove on my left hand). By then the shop is warm, I shut the casting down and do whatever machine work is on the plate for the day. The bullet casting helps heat up the shop about twice as fast. Only downside, I've got more bullets cast up than I'll ever shoot.

I found years ago(late 60s) when Ideal tool/moulds were sometimes the only thing available for casting bullets and loading cartridges, thick rubber hose available in most well stocked hardware stores worked well insulating ones hand from the handles. I still wore gloves, and the hose kept a better grip on the tool.

Looks like a 165 grain bullet from your mold. I have te same one and that bullet looks identical to the ones I got when I cast a few just to see what I ended up with. Started out with a set of no name welders gloves and the handles did get very uncomfortable. Swapped over to a set of Hobart welding gloves. I've seen one such mold modified to take wood handles looks like bubba done dood it. Frank

I have an early Ideal tool in .45-90 with the most beautiful pair of period stiched-on thick leather handle covers.  I took the tool to Friendship many years ago and several "buckskinners" opined that the leather was buffalo and that the "thread" was sinew.  Thereafter, I always liked to imagine one of the last buffalo runners busily casting and reloading after a good day's hunt.  Ah, romance takes many forms!

Bill Lawrence

I tried wearing my heavy welding gloves, but it's just too restricting and awkward to wear and work in. I can't hardly stand wearing them when I weld, so they're in brand new condition still after a decade or more.
I have one old Marlin Firearms Co. marked Ideal mold from the period Marlin owned Ideal, and some clever guy carefully covered the handles in leather with a nicely stitched seam up the inside of the handles. They work excellent, and I'd put them on my others if I didn't want to keep the original finish on them. I've always wondered what the handles look like under that leather after all the decades the leather has been on them?

I have no problem with plain leather work gloves. They handle the heat fine and are flexible enough to handle small pieces.

These are the Hobart welding gloves. They have some type of high tech insulation that makes them less bulky than cheap gloves. They work very well. I got them at Northern Tool.