On a side note, I made the mistake of using steel wool on the forks to try and remove stubborn oxidation. Rather than 1,000 grit I then used 180 grit to try and rough it up for a good polish. The parts that were missed by the steel wool polished out alright, but in comparison I really put some gouges in the metal...
Steel wool on aluminum is another problem. You've introduced steel to the aluminum and that will set up galvanic corrosion. Sand those scratches out and get the steel out with it. Aluminum wool next time.