That sounds so smoooooth. With all of the work in it, it should, right?
Does the Teflon paste really work? At work, we had a lot of SS 1/4" NPT fittings into aluminum castings that had been "sealed" with teflon tape. They carried helium, and all leaked. When pulled apart to repair, they had all galled and ripped aluminum threads out with them. Luckily they were shallow enough to be retapped and sealed with blue refrigerant sealant (LeakLok). Of course, NPT threads have a lot of pressure on them. On SS into aluminum bolts, I've been using a product called NeoLube - collodial suspension of graphite in isopropyl alcohol. When the alcohol evaporates, it's like graphite plating. Fantastic for SS to SS at really high temps, and so far has worked for me on SS in aluminum. You MUST use lock washers, however! (And reduce torque, as it is very slick and easy to draw threads right out.)