Don't be fooled by the simplicity of the can. The peripheral equipment - 2 high vacuum pumps, 2 (very refined) pressure gauges, mass spec, deuterium source, heater psu and power meters costs around 20x as much as the reactor. And you really need to be a skilled cook to make great baked beans.
Yes, some skill is required, but certainly nothing shown so far that is not within well established precedence.
Machining the reactor is truly simple compared to many such things requiring high precision bearings, balancing, exotic materials, exotic welding (SS is not an issue to weld), high vacuum seals, etc. etc. Not necessarily easy, but certainly done every day in several disciplines. High vacuum is so common that one can purchase used "TM" pumps on eBay!
Burnishing the material? Well, how difficult can that be? Right to left? Left to Right? Forward and back? 3 times each way? Hard pressure or light? The point is, this is not a technically difficult issue.
I worked on a grant involving holograms in college (back in the 70's) that was far more technically challenging than this. Tuneable Lasers (in infancy at the time), massive vibrationless tables, high precision splitters, mirrors, chemical various coatings, etc. etc. This undergraduate work was far more "costly" and in several ways more technical.
I do not state this to say CF is easy, but that it is becoming frustrating to hear "CF is so difficult to replicate because one needs years or experience and knowledge"
Well, what experience? Welding? Mizuno does not weld. High vacuum? Done every day. (Not easy but not PHD stuff) Burnishing? Hardly technical. The R20 reactor test is simple compared to many common projects today.
I agree 100% with Dr. Storms in that the issue is a lack of understanding. The "require expert and years of knowledge" meme does not hold a lot of water in that there is not much consensus on the "knowledge".... Mills, Storms, Widom/Larsen, Hagelstien, Brillion(sp)? Whose "years of knowledge" do you need? The years of experience does not hold water in that the R20 test is relatively simple compared with much of today's process's.
If one is doing calorimetry trying to detect a fraction of a watt or even 3-4 watts of excess power, one would need a lot of experience and good equipment. Not easy for a "garage tinker" but not impossible. As Jed often states, measuring fractions of a watt was done in the late 1800's. However, as SOT says, the R20 shows such a high level of excess heat the calorimetry should be quite straight forward. Detecting a watt is difficult. Detecting 200 watts is not. (Or at least should not be)
I see this meme as becoming more of an excuse at times! And then when close scrutiny brings up general questions, it is often responded with emotionalism.
There is nothing wrong with close scrutiny and if a question is answered factually, it will be answered. ("I said so" is not a factual answer!)
What is needed is what Dr. Storms is preaching (I think). A systematic approach of testing parameters using established scientific methods, to confirm a theory. I suspect this may be underway in Texas. Who knows?
Where will the field be in 12 months? If using the "blind man" approach, probably no further than we are today.