Inkball

The first tree I knew was an oak under which I played as a small child and gathered large inkballs that I used as marbles.

I said that ink made from pokeberries was better than that made from inkballs. I said that inkballs on oak trees were scarce. All the other students laughed. They bought commercial ink at the stores.

[…]consider that this perfect work was done on a wooden press, that the form was inked by hand with inkballs or "daubers,"[…]

He turns to the inkstone and picks up by the handles the two inkballs, rolling the leather facings together to freshen the ink. […] As the pressman returns the inkballs to the inkstone, the journeyman closes the frisket and tympan.