That ladle and the pot could be from bullet casting, or they could be a plumber's set. Used to be plumbers fitted cast iron drain pipe together, chinked the joint with oakum, then sealed it by pouring lead over it. My uncle was a plumber and I have his set, although his pot was just a pot to set on a heat source. It if it s plumbers ladle it will be quite large 3" across or so, while a bullet casting ladle will only be an inch or inch and a half across. If it was a plumber's then you'll be OK with using that lead for muzzleloader projectiles as it is most likely pure lead.
If it is a bullet casters set up then the metal contained in the pot and ladle could be some other, harder alloy. You can usually tell by how soft it is and how it oxidizes over time and the color. Hardness being the important factor, as soft lead is what you want for black powder guns, especially revolvers. The "vise like" arrangement under the pot could be a bullet mold guide as they are not uncommon although in all my years I have never bothered to use one, even with larger multi cavity molds like Lee's six cavity.
As to getting the lead out of the pot and ladle. I would definitely try plugging in the pot to see if it worked. It may take it a while to get going, but don't leave it unattended. As far as the ladle, if it fits in the pot, I would just wait until the lead in the pot melted and carefully immerse the ladle and the lead will melt out rather quickly, if the ladle fits. If it doesn't fit, then your propane torch idea will work but may take a bit.
Before doing any of that though make sure that both ladle and pot are absolutely dry and have no water in them, as a steam explosion involving molten lead is a damn sure class A+ safety hazard. Also as you mentioned, cleaning any debris that may cause problems is also a good idea.
Looking on a site like Graf and Sons for casting equipment and looking at the models there you may be able to identify what you have, also checking RCBS, Lyman and Lee's sites could help you there. As always googling bullet casting pots, and checking the images could help as well. If all else fails post a couple of pictures here and likely someone will be able to help you.
Once you are able to identify your pot you will likely be able to download an instruction manual for it.
In terms of further safety and information and learning Lyman's
Cast Bullet Handbook is a wealth of information and you can get it on Amazon or through most providers of casting gear.
Cast Boolits also has literally a treasury of information on the subject.
