The suction deal is only for the final stage... actually called ' lapping' as compared to ' grinding' which uses a trueable grinding stone to get a flat and correct angle face on the valve seat or the valve..
These guys have a really nice paper catalog ...

http://goodson.com/

"Is there any way to check my rings from the top to see if they are okay?" Nice try.... but no... no way....

CHANGE THE TENSIONER ! and the GUIDE RAIL ALSO...
most chains do not break themselves... they are screwed up by one of these two items... particularly if they are original.. this is actually a no brainer once you think about it...