2023-09-15 14:46:48
Dossier
Published on 09/19/2023
It was in 1943 – 80 years ago this year – that Tryphon Tournesol appeared in The Adventures of Tintin. An entry that was as remarkable as it was noticed and which was a landmark because, from then on, he would never leave the series and would even occupy a special place alongside Tintin, Snowy and Captain Haddock. Readers of the Belgian daily Le Soir are the first to discover this puny and singular character, dressed all in green, in the story currently being broadcast at this period, namely: The Treasure of Rackham the Red. © Hergé / Tintinimaginatio – 2023
A place to live and work
While Tintin and Captain Haddock are preparing their future maritime expedition to go in search of Rackham the Red’s treasure, a certain Tryphon Tournesol spontaneously introduces himself to them and even manages, against all odds, to take them to his house to present them with a invention of which he alone has the secret – well almost because it is inspired by the ingenious bathyscaphe of Professor Auguste Picard: “a device for exploring the bottom of the seas”
The man is therefore an inventor. A jack of all trades. Something that his “cave” immediately confirms, as soon as he opens the door. Although surprising, there is nothing surprising about this place of living. It is simply in the image of its occupant, that is to say: at the crossroads or rather… disciplines. It is indeed the result of a clever mix between a residential apartment and a mechanical workshop, with a touch of a scientific laboratory.
This particular interior immediately reveals a little-known aspect of his personality: the side of a handyman Tournesol, a bit of an amateur like “Géo Trouvetou” all the same, because his improbable inventions work more or less well. Except the one – and that’s good – that Tintin and his friends came to see!
© Hergé / Tintinimaginatio – 2023
Little tour of the owner
Particularly well equipped, the apartment-workshop is full of tools – state-of-the-art and brand new – for shaping, manufacturing, creating. In a word: to invent. Saperlipopette, Tournesol’s lair is a mine and it’s even the handyman’s Ali Baba’s cave. Who would’ve believed that ?
© Hergé / Tintinimaginatio – 2023
Naturally, one of the first tools the reader comes across is a vice since it occupies the foreground (right) of the vignette. This mechanical system makes it possible to position and hold any type of object firmly. Tournesol also seems to use it to cut a metal part, the shape of which is already well advanced but which surely still requires some finishing touches. The size, dimension, thickness of the jaws and the robustness of the T-handle indicate – without a doubt – that this is a professional model.
Logically positioned nearby and therefore within reach: flat files. These utensils – which are sure to be found in the toolboxes of experienced DIY enthusiasts – are used to machine an object on the surface or to deburr the angles, for example. Its action is mechanical and works by progressive tearing of the material until a flat surface is obtained. Their flat – rectangular section – and elongated shapes allow you to work on large rectilinear surfaces.
© Hergé / Tintinimaginatio – 2023
In addition to manufacturing tools, Tournesol also has equipment to be able to maintain them, such as the whetstone – or sharpening stone – hexagonal in shape and blue in color, placed on the workbench on the right, for example. This stone makes it possible to restore sharpness or sharpness to metal or wood cutting tools. A Japanese proverb says that it takes three years to learn to dig a hole, five years to saw correctly, but a lifetime to master the whetstone… proof that Tournesol is far from a novice! Next to it, a small oil can which he certainly uses to lubricate the mechanical workings of his equipment as well as his inventions.
© Hergé / Tintinimaginatio – 2023
A scroll saw – or cutting saw – sits proudly and in a good position on the wall. Depending on the nature of its blade, it must be used for cutting either metal elements or pieces of wood. Butterfly screws positioned at the ends of the U-shape – very practical for being able to saw in all directions and thus create rounded shapes directly in the material – allow, in any case, to very easily change the blade depending on the material to be used. to work.
© Hergé / Tintinimaginatio – 2023
Also mounted on the wall and suspended above the second work surface, next comes a meticulously organized series of tools. From left to right: a double open-end wrench, a hammer, a half-round file, a fine rattail file, pliers, cutting pliers and another hammer identical to the first. Finally, from the box placed just below, also comes a precision hammer whose size – much smaller – is reminiscent of that of a jeweler’s hammer.
In the professor’s kit, there is even the essential soldering station recognizable by its stove because, in 1943, iron was not yet electric. The latter is also connected to town gas thanks to a wall tap. An installation which gave birth – at the end of the 19th century – to the expression “gas on all floors” (in France) or “gas on all floors” (in Belgium). Generally in the form of a plaque, this notice was affixed to one of the exterior facades of the equipped buildings in order to clearly indicate that these – very modern – had direct access to this source of energy and this, in all the dwellings or premises they housed. Finally, to prevent it from burning and damaging the surface of the workbench, the iron – whose tip appears beveled or flared – rests safely on the support provided for this purpose.
© Hergé / Tintinimaginatio – 2023
To conclude this quick tour of the owner, the attentive reader will also note the presence of a large oil can and a double open-ended wrench. Both placed on the ground, ready for use, near one of the professor’s inventions: a gas generator. This new model – unique in its kind – will also deserve to be scrutinized in a future column…
© Hergé / Tintinimaginatio – 2023 In The Treasure of Red Rackham, Tournesol is both an engineer but also a technician. He designs his inventions from A to Z, from plan to object. He has the techniques of cutting metal, machining, assembly and all the tools necessary for the creation, manufacturing and development of his inventions. He is not afraid to roll up his sleeves and get his hands dirty, which clashes with his impeccable and elegant outfit, always dressed to the nines.
Tournesol lives only by this and for that, so much so that his living space is reduced to a simple bed-closet – another invention of his own aimed at keeping as much space as possible for his work and projects in progress. It should be noted, finally, that his apartment-workshop is particularly clean but above all meticulously tidy. Each tool is in its place and ready to be used, which completely counteracts the distracted – not to say lunar – character of the character. As it turns out, Tournesol hides his game well because he is indeed a rigorous and efficient handyman who will subsequently become knowledgeable… but not so crazy after all!
About the author
Nathalie Vidal has a doctorate in Earth sciences, holds a master’s degree in the history of science and technology and is an associate member of the Philosophies and Rationality laboratory at Clermont Auvergne University. She has a great passion for instruments, and particularly prototypes, witnesses of public and private research.
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