There's a candy machine that uses this technology, I think it's been adapted to civilian use. Aether generators aren't the same as aether weaponry, though. When it was discussed before, I brought up the comparison: Solar power is free energy, but it doesn't break the economy because it's still expensive to set up and keep running. The same goes for aether generators; if it has a long lifetime, it has a high cost, too.
As for reproducing the tech, a 1880s gunsmith who took apart an AK 47 wouldn't be able to make an AK 47, and that's a pretty small technology gap. Being able to capture something and take it apart doesn't let you replicate it, unless you already are nearly at the same level of technology, already.