I turned off the pump and immediately placed about 425 ml in a mason jar. Within 2 minutes, I definitely see seperation. I just have this nagging feeling that I didn't use enough lye. How do I know? I took pictures immediately after draining off. I'll take another in 1/2 hour and 1 hour.

2 minutes and it seperates? post pics.. my first batch we didnt add enough lye and it didnt seperate so we had to add more then it did seperate almost immedietly after adding more lye.. but first post pics

Jeff I have made 10 batches now and I dip a sample out when the stirring is finished and the longest it has taken to seperate in the sample jar is about 5/6 minutes
on discussion here with some that should know it would seem that I am processing at a higher temp than necasarry and stirring for way to long ..the bottom line ..if you are still stirring after the reaction has finished then it basically has seperation and only takes a small time to settle when it is allowed to ..
and if it is settling into the two distinct layers and the recovery is up in the high ninties then you probably got it right rather than wrong .,. hope this helps a little
Regards
Kev

Thanks Kev. That actually helps alot. I'd say I got it right. Just finished first wash. Plugging away.

At the moment I dont wash the fuel ..but will have to as the winter comes I guess .. in actual fact it is about 2 hours from fat to in the car ... but I usually let it settle for over night ..just because of practicalities ..
my process in brief is ..warm supplies to get them into the reactor,mix if different suppliers, when upto heat and mixed ..TITRATE !!!!!! then mix the meth/caustic and inject for about two mins while stirring , hold at temp (previously 60 C now 55C) stirr (previously 60 mins now 45) dip a sample ..watch the magic when cooled decant the glycerine from the bottom then decant the fuel into a drum I have set up high and gravity through a conventional auto fuel filter (with a glass bowl so I can see whats going on) into a holding drum to be pumped into the ute as required ..
I do my titration on what ever I am processing ..usually i know the tits of the individual components of the batch ( which dictates the persentages of the different suppliers in the batch) and by doing this I dont think you can go far wrong SO LONGAS you are careful with your titration and repeat it a min of three times, make sure you use the base amount for the lye type and so l;ong as your numbers are right (providing you have controlled the condition of your feed source ) it is of the work we go and produce lovely fuel ..smiles
Regards
Kev