Here's some info:
Books - Deerskins into Buckskins by Matt Richards (He helped me finish my first braintanned deerhide - Great guy and has a great wife too!)
Wet-Scrape Braintanned Buckskin by Steven Edholm & Tamara Wilder ( never met Steve, but I took a different class with Tamara once, excellent teacher. She looks good in buckskins by the way.)
Blue Mountain Buckskin by Jim Riggs (He looks like he just stepped out of the 1800's, and I'll bet he could live a primitive life anytime he desires. I would call him an expert!)
Videos: Brain Tan Buckskin by John & Jeri McPherson (you used to get a booklet with this video, I started out with just their booklet to make my first rawhide - was supposed to be buckskin!) btw - I've only written these folks, but they seem like very good people too.
The Tanning Spirit by Melvin Beattie (very good video!)
Check out the sites below. You could probably find some "Primitives" who are giving hands-on classes or go to a week-long gathering like Rabbitstick in Idaho (Sept. this year)
[url]www.hollowtop.com[/url]
[url]www.braintan.com[/url]
[url]www.abotech.com[/url]
First, decide if you want to wet-scrape or dry-scrape.
The supplies you'll need are common home items except for the tool to scrape the hide. I've used an old plane blade with the edge dulled and the corners rounded.
You'll need brains (yours plus some others like pork or beef, some folks have used eggs. I have a hide in the freezer waiting to be finished that was "egged".)
You'll need access to water (at home or a body or moving source)
you'll need space to work the hide (depends on which method)
You'll need time ( this can be done in a weekend if temperatures are right)
You'll need something like a wood burning stove to burn your punky wood in to smoke the hides.
Parts of the process are labor intensive, but not terribly so. Some are time-critical so your hide doesn't set up stiff. Some are down right enjoyable like the smoking part. Watching the hide turn color is beautiful. Just don't take the hide into the house (unless you live alone) unless you want people thinking the house is on fire. I've never had anything smell so smokey as a fresh-smoked hide. Once you hold true buckskin in your hands, you'll never want to go near chrome-tanned again.
Any questions about primitive skills or survival in general, email me or post a question here and I'll answer it if I can. I don't claim to be an expert, but I do teach the stuff.
WSmac