Cade, must be very old as I have doen many many batches with KOH. If I remember the basics 3.5 is the base for clean oil, if its been cooked then a little more will aid the reaction. At a base of 3.5 then you may not get complete transesterification and have remaining oil. This is not a bad thing necessarily but in modern diesels I would tend to good conversion. Where in Brisbane are you? I am in East Brisbane.