Railcar tab gasket and process of manufacture

A process for manufacturing a gasket, the process comprising the steps of:

• (a) forming a billet having an exposed outer end;
• (b) delivering the billet to a lathe;
• (c) holding the billet within the jaws of a chuck or a collet of the lathe;
• (d) rotating either the billet or the lathe relative to one another;
• (e) moving a tool towards and away from the billet to machine or cut a groove in the exposed outer end of the billet such that, when complete, the groove forms a step in the gasket, the gasket comprising:
• a substantially planar horizontal top surface defining a body under the top surface;
• a substantially planar horizontal bottom surface substantially parallel to the top surface;
• a substantially planar vertical edge extending between the horizontal top surface and the horizontal bottom surface to define the thickness of the gasket;
• and
• wherein the step is integral with the body and has an “L” shape defined by
• a substantially planar vertical leg and
• a substantially planar horizontal leg,
• the step having a bottom flush with the horizontal bottom surface and ending in a substantially planar vertical edge that extends between the bottom and the horizontal leg to define the height of the step
• wherein the height is less than the thickness;
• (f) optionally cutting a center opening of the gasket;
• and
• (g) slicing the gasket from the billet.