I finally got to see the DIY dude's video:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3wrzo_fabrication-dune-lampe-triode_techtoday...
First thing I noticed is that he build all of the gear to make the tubes.
The pumps, the ovens, the glass forming stuff.
Notice the Mercury diffusion pump that pulls the last bit of vacuum??
But, a few things were skipped in the video.
I was left wondering how he activated the filament?
That usually requires a thorium material since it is a DHT tube.
Also, usually the plate is not kept bright nickel alloy, it is oxide coated, he's not doing that...
I also wondered about his induction heater - that was the big fat coil that was shown cooking the plate under vacuum. Is it RF? Or magnetic induction?
The tube socket seemed a bit odd... nice that it was split pins, but how are the tube wires connected to the pins? No solder??
Also interesting was that they/he showed a mold for making the tube sockets, I wondered what he used for that? It has to handle some reasonable temps, which is why ceramic or more usually Bakelite was used. Bakelite doesn't come out blue.

Then sitting here typing, I thinks to meeself, meeself, if I werto make mee a toobe, watt wood eye make?? Aint gonna be no tiny leetle receiving triode!
Seems to me the thing to make is something more like an old buzzard TL/TH-1000!!
YEAH BABY!!
Anyone going in on it with me??

_-_-WBear2GCR