Perhaps it is possible to find the proper concentration of acid and cooling etc... and may be it is very easy, but I discarded it. Have you made it with your own hands ?
Yes, but no cooling is needed. SWIM does not use HCl or NaOH, he/she uses extremely diluted H2SO4. It really depends on how fast you want pressurization to occur. SWIM has had it run very hot, and pressurization occurs in less than a minute. Or with a higher dilution, pressurization has occurred gradually over several minutes.
SWIM thinks maybe you do not understand the setup of the hydrogenation. There are effectively two seperate containers, connected together with a tube and clamps. One is charged with the reaction mixture, the other is charged with dilute H2SO4 and Al. The reaction between the acid and the Al usually takes about 1-2 minutes before becoming extremely vigourous. During this time, flush the system with argon. As the reaction begins producing hydrogen, close the system and allow the pressure to build. When pressure has been achieved, close valve and disconnect the hydrogen generator. Let the hydrogen generator finish its reaction somewhere else, its job in the hydrogenation is done.
Maybe a picture is in order?