Above all, the "Ländle" (nickname of Baden-Württemberg) can be proud of its famous car brands, the delicious spaetzle and the healthy distance to High German. After all, Baden-Württemberg is not only a driving force of the German economy, but also offers a diversity of nature and culture true to the motto: "Black Forest meets Fasnet (carnival)". Especially the district of Rottweil, which is known to be the godfather of the dog breed named after it, is considered one of the epicenters of the Swabian-Alemannic carnival. Jesters with whimsical wooden masks and traditional costumes line the streets of the villages with the start of Epiphany - loud roar of bells and whips included.
Meanwhile, in neighboring Deißlingen, a jester of a completely different nature can be found. Without a mask, but with a lot of passion for knives. In this respect, Knut Ingolf Sälinger is the man who is trusted not only by women. Self-employed since 1985 and extremely successful in sales, the sales representative followed his passion in 2020 with the founding of the Messerschleiferei Black (proper spelling: messerschleiferei.black). The focus here is on the grinding of high-quality knives in the cold grinding process with water stones in pure handwork.
Knut Ingolf Sälinger came into contact with knives as a child, as his father was a hunter and passionate horseman. On his farm, he was able to conscientiously look over the blacksmith's shoulder as he worked metal and sharpened blades. Here and there his father's hunter friends showed their hunting knives, which were not infrequently from Boker. At the age of 7, Knut Ingolf Sälinger finally received his first own driving knife from his father.
He likes to talk about good knives with his customers often. A cozy atmosphere, a delicious cup of coffee and the necessary peace and quiet are the ideal conditions for shop talk. The owner is almost infatuated with the Boker 98K Damascus: "For me, this knife is a work of art, a symbiosis of stability and perfect craftsmanship with full practicality. I was already familiar with the 98K bolt action rifle that gives it its name through my father's hunting friends, and then I discovered this knife in the catalog - a real stunner! The Boker 98K Damast also magically attracts the eyes of my customers."
The still very young messerschleiferei.black offers not only sharpening knives but also the sale of the same. "As a perfectionist with high quality standards, it was clear that I wanted to offer Boker knives to my customers and I applied to become a specialist dealer." The subsequent initial contact with the Boker sales force almost didn't happen at all, as Knut Ingolf Sälinger didn't expect the spontaneous visit at the end of the working day and drove off the yard still waving. A friendly phone call a few minutes later, however, smilingly cleared up the matter and turned it around for the better. "Since then, the cooperation with Boker has been very cordial and professional - just like the knives."
A knife lover through and through - and not only at the carnival period.
