ok, anyone ever done it?
various methods?  
seen some about "brain tanning" has some problems...
various other chemical methods any good?
i want to know how to do it for furs as well (leaving one side of the hair intact)
i understand it is NOT easy, but can anyone point me in the right direction

thanks

nobody?
come on now...someone must be able to at least point me to the right place...

Uh well, there WAS a little book called "Tan your hide", really old, down at our library.

It's gone now, sorry I can't recall the authors.

Try a used book store.  Or you can get it at Amazon.com

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

Tandy Leather used to sell a home leather tanning kit.  I think the Leather Factory also sells it.

Anything in the Foxfire books about this?

I enjoyed "The Home Book of Taxidermy & Tanning".

Forget about "tanning kits", especially from a place like Tandy. They sell good stuff for decorating wallets and belts, but in my opinion, that's all I'd ever buy from them.
The foxfire books I've read have great stuff in them, I built my wife a banjo from some of the types discussed in one book. I don't recall them having a tanning section in any though. The Foxfire books don't really go into detail deep enough with some of their crafts, at least for me.
Really,  the hardest/most critical  part would have to be during the softening process. You want to work the wet spots and dry the hide slowly so the fibers don't set up into rawhide. It's a bit labor intensive at this time, but not technically or physically difficult.  You don't need chemicals, and with braintanning you get a thick soft hide that you'll have trouble (mentally) making the first cut in, it'll be that good.