Luke,  the value of the cast iron plate isn't much, maybe $5; scrap
metal is pretty cheap right now.  Werners were pretty good pianos in
their day and usually had a Schulz player.  Schulz players are a bit
tricky to restore, but once done, they are good players.  Those little
valve pneumatics will drive you crazy though (in my instance, it's a
short drive)! :)

How to deter siblings?  Hmm, give it to them -- then it's _their_
problem -- especially if they don't live in the same house as you!
Of course, any piano can be beat to death, and almost any piano can
be brought back from death's door, given time and money (or time and
parts).

I've been lucky with my two uprights; both pianos are in excellent
piano shape despite their age, and now the Cable Recordo is in great
roll playing shape.  Now to get to my childhood piano, the Leckerling
with a transplanted Simplex stack.  I might even remount the roll box
so it's centered; right now it's off-center by about 1/2 inch (radical
thinking).  However, my choice of a player grand, an Acoustigrande with
a Welte player, wasn't so fortuitous a purchase -- it will need a
complete rebuilding, piano and player.  Oh Well, at least it's almost
completely "untouched" so I don't have to undo past "repairs."

I still wish you'd gone after that Cable Euphona player; they are so much
easier to rebuild than many others; mostly because almost everything is
gasketed, so it comes apart much easier.  I tend to gasket every stack
I rebuild too, just in case I'm the next guy!

David Dewey