A note on knots and types of rope, ie manila -
Manila rope, lubricated with soap or not, is itchy. It's strong AF, but itchy around the neck.
A "proper" full drop hang, done with the knot beneath the chin, angled to the left lower jaw, forces the head backwards and breaks the cervical spinal discs; one wouldn't have enough time to register the breaking, only the drop, or fall, which must be fast.
I broke my neck in 2016 - an accident, not an attempt. I don't remember what happened, only waking up and realizing I couldn't turn my head. I was within millimeters of severing the spinal cord and it would've been lights out. At the time, my husband and I were separated, and I was a fucking mess. After I broke my neck, and
didn't die, I felt strangely empowered - as if maybe I finally "got it" and things would work out in the marriage, in my life. But no, he filed about 6 weeks into the recovery. I can laugh about it now but at the time, oooof.
That balloon of hope deflated real quick. After he told me, I went into the hall and laid on the floor. Recovery became an attempt. I removed the aspen collar and tried turning my head again, hoping it would just give way already. It was very painful - I wasn't able to force my head left or right, and I
tried. Head in hands, I was pushing.
You mention hanging from a bannister. It's solid, and it will hold you as you've tested.
Further info which may be of use:
Precautions taken to avoid abandoning the act of hanging and reducing pain in suicidal hanging cases
(case study of 17 hangings in Konya, Turkey)
Hanging death likely quick and painless
(Seattle Times, 2006 - discussion of Saddam Hussein's execution - judicial hanging/long drop)
Excerpt:
The former Iraqi dictator's trip to the gallows should have produced near-instant death, say medical experts, although prolonged suffering was possible if Saddam didn't fall far enough or with sufficient force.
Dr. Byron Bailey, associate professor of neurosurgery at the Medical University of South Carolina, said he expected Saddam to suffer a "hangman's fracture," a term used for the violent breaking of the C-2 vertebra below the base of the skull.
Aside from the vertebra fracture, a properly placed rope will snap the trachea and compress the jugular veins and carotid artery, cutting off all oxygen and blood to the brain. Anything less forceful may leave the victim to die over a few minutes by suffocation.
"A lot of people debate whether or not consciousness is lost immediately," said Dr. Lawrence Kobilinsky, a professor of forensic science at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. "I think consciousness is lost immediately, but nobody knows for sure. It's a philosophical question."
Hangman's knot Wiki
For a hanging, the knot of the rope is typically placed under or just behind the left ear, although the most effective position is just ahead of the ear, beneath the angle of the left lower jaw. The pull on the knot at the end of the drop levers the jaw and head violently up and to the right, which combines with the jerk of the rope becoming taut to wrench the upper neck vertebrae apart. This produces very rapid death, whereas the traditional position beneath the ear was intended to result in the mass of the knot crushing closed (occluding) neck arteries, causing cessation of brain circulation.
I don't use Reddit anymore however, there's a user by the name of HermanTheShocker. I believe they're on Tumblr with the same name. A lot of interesting cases, perspectives, discovery photos, etc.