I ordered the Wippermann link yesterday.

Operator, are you saying that sloshing the chain around in a coffee can with mineral spirits and then drying it off will damage the chain? Because that's what I do.

Slightly OT, I have a Park chain wear gauge, but I understand that they're not all that reliable. My current chain (2,000 miles on it) fails the .75 gauge test. But when I measured the chain at 12 inches with a tape measure, it's only off by maybe a 32nd of an inch, if that. Definitely not a 16th. Can I assume the chain has a few more miles in it?