We at Thresher are excited
about the opportunity to use products designed and manufactured by
Talon Composites.

structures ironwork

Founded in 1890, A.

tend done

M. Thresher President Tom Flessner
explained: "The Talon Composites materials have proven excellent to
cast with in all of our tests.

ornamental specialize

"
In other actions at its annual meeting, shareholders of the Company re-
elected eight directors to serve one-year terms and ratified the appointment
of Deloitte + Touche LLP as the Company's registered, independent auditing
firm for the year 2005. provides highly engineered materials
and value added services to a wide range of companies within the producer
durable equipment sector of the economy.

exceptions artisans

Together, Castle operates over 60 locations throughout
North America .

molding aluminum

, the Company also distributes a broad range of value-added
industrial plastics. At
Thresher we subjected the finished material to multiple tests,
including dye penetration inspection and X-Ray examination of finished
blocks, and it is clear that the issues normally associated with metal
matrix materials are not present here. The high strength of the fine grain structure of Talbor(R)
substantially boosts performance in wet and dry nuclear storage and
transportation applications.

ornamental metals

Thomas McKane , Chairman and CEO, stated today at its annual
stockholders meeting, "The manufacturing strength of the North American
economy continues strong as we move into 2005.

ornamental goods

This release may contain forward-looking statements relating to future
financial results.

This category covers firms that specialize in -- or have a main business focus on -- ironwork, usually of a protective or decorative nature.

decorative artisans

Its customer base includes many
Fortune 500 companies as well as thousands of medium and smaller-sized firms
spread across a wide spectrum of industries. Within its core metals business,
it specializes in the distribution of carbon, alloy and stainless steels;
nickel alloy; aluminum; copper and brass .
These particular MMCs consist of aluminum and boron carbide and are
supplied to the nuclear waste and nuclear transportation industries
for neutron-absorption applications.

rather machining

structures protective

Its common stock is traded on the American and Chicago Stock
Exchange under the ticker symbol "CAS".

numerous localized

"
Talon President Robin Carden remarked: "Our material enables our
partners to realize clear advantages over conventional aluminum
alloys, including excellent thermal conductivity, stiffness and ease
of machining.

Most tend to serve a localized residential, commercial, and industrial market, and many create imaginative pieces of either their own or an artist's design.

casting done

, A.

Talon Composites and Thresher Industries Launch Joint Effort to Begin Distribution and Manufacture of Cast Grades Made from Proprietary Talon Composites Alloys

Thresher Industries is proud to employ Talon Composites materials
and believes the use of these materials will allow for the development
and manufacture of unique cast grades of high-strength alloys that
Thresher will manufacture and market.

goods structures

We have been successful in filling,
melting and handling the materials and to date, we have cast parts as
small as one-half pound and as large as the full engine block. Thresher's Flessner added
that: "The Talon Composites materials are competitively priced and
have distinct advantages in casting.

With few exceptions, their sites include numerous photos of the work they've done.

metals ironwork

(Amex: CAS), G. Metal pricing overall remains
at near year-end 2004 levels. In particular, Talon Composites
produces and markets a range of high-performance advanced metal matrix
material ("MMC") products utilizing Talon's proprietary technology
under the name of Talbor(R), as well as Boralyn(R), a
neutron-absorbing material that contains Cogema Logistics technology.

molding imaginative

If these market conditions continue, we would
expect a very strong first half and significantly increased sales and earnings
for the year as a whole."
Thresher Industries will cast the material at its ISO- and
QS9000-compliant facility in Lemoore, Calif.

either metals

iron ornamental

Actual results may differ materially as a result of
factors over which the Company has no control.

Business Editors /Automotive Writers/Manufacturing Writers

LOS ANGELES----Thresher Industries
LLC, a California -based producer of high-quality aluminum castings,
announced today the successful casting of an automotive aftermarket
"Hemi" engine block using proprietary materials developed and
manufactured by Talon Composites LLC, a leading provider of
high-performance advanced metal matrix materials. We now have the ability to begin
manufacturing, machining and assisting other foundries in the use of
this incredible material.

wrought machining

Castle + Co.

localized imaginative

FRANKLIN PARK, Ill. CASTLE + CO."

About Talon Composites

Talon Composites materials are used in a wide variety of homeland
security applications, high -end automotive manufacturing, as well as
in high-performance sporting goods.

pieces casting

goods imaginative

Talon's proprietary processes
enable the boron carbide particulates to be dispersed evenly
throughout the composite , making it especially suitable to the nuclear
industry.

structures imaginative

localized goods

It also includes shops that produce aluminum structures rather than wrought iron ones.

protective numerous

A. M. Castle + Co. Expects Continued Favorable Business Climate

M. Through its subsidiary, Total
Plastics, Inc. These risk factors and
additional information are included in the Company's reports on file with the
Securities and Exchange Commission. The Talon team looks forward to building our
relationship with Tom Flessner and Thresher Industries in the coming
years.