so at my trades school we have old equipment for glass blowing that is no longer used so im going to be trying out glass blowing and im eventually going to try to make a fluorescent tube (it will take alot of practice) but i want to be able to make my own tube! i would be using cathodes from shitty alto lamps and i have a way of making my own phosphor coating, it will be a bad homemade phosphor but it will work at least. i have so many resorses to use at my school it insane and there willing to let me do it!

Just throwing this out there, is there a neon shop near you, if so you should pay them a visit they might let you watch them blow a tube and give you a bit of info on the tricks of the trade, some of the older guys who do this actually like to show off there skills and they make it look real easy, but it's a lot of years to get to there level..

...i would be using cathodes from (...) alto lamps

I dont think that is feasible. The emission material is applied in the form of a precursors and gets finished only after the tube is evacuated. Since then anyexposure to air will ruin it immediately, so unless you transfer the cathodes to the new lamp in vacuum, it is impossible to get working cathodes from an existing lamp.
You would have to get the cathodes in the form before tge activation, but I dont know where you could ever get such thing.

Way easier is to work with cold cathodes - these dont need that step and mainly they are available as readymade components for the neon sign shops.
I think a visit to some neon shop will really help you a lot there...

Yes,make friends with your local sign shop-and also with a sign supplies shop.The supplies shop can supply the electrodes.Figure for a homemade light you will need to make a cold cathode one-figure would be the easier to build with what you would have acces to-the lamp could be run from a small sign transformer.I am trying to remember the full name of the book-have it-Its Like "Neon sign making and handling" try to get this-will be very helpful.And your homemade tube will need "bombarding"that is burning out gases adn impurities in the tube itself adn the electrodes-the tube is filled with xenon adn connected to a higher power bombarder supply-the sign shop would have this adn probably could do it for you.After bombarding the tube is filled with the gas you intend to use.The the bulb is sealed again and ready to use.I also got my book on the neon sign making from a local sing supply shop-Glantz and sons or something like that.Was in the Wash DC area.I beleive they are nationwide.