I finally got time to damp the crispy areas on my pelt and rework it today - with success! It's lovely and soft
Woo hoo!!! I put a huge amount of work in to that pelt, so now have a fantastic sense of achievement. I'll hopefully work the others in the next few weeks and then smoke them all at the same time. The tip from Joe about pulling the pelt around a taut rope is probably the thing that helped most. It also wasn't raining today, so less moisture in the air (which is what stopped the pelt from drying properly last time I tried)
tommythecat - I didn't soak the hide before fleshing it at all. Just removed it from the rabbit and scraped away. But maybe the method is different for buckskin - I fear soaking rabbit pelts may make the fur even more likely to fall out. I have a few bald patches on my pelt from working it even without soaking the fur much. But I don't know anything about salt alum tanning, sooo...
I now have even more respect for our ancestors, who presumably had to go through the process I've just been through whenever they wanted a fur to wear!!!
Also lots more questions:
What natural cordage can be used for the taut rope (I used nylon string because of its strength)? I'd have thought nettle string would wear out too quickly.
Did our ancestors here in Britain do mainly brain tanning, or did they use salts like Dave is doing? Did they work small pelts like rabbits inside by the fire when it was raining, or did they just wait for suitable weather before working them outside?
I haven't tried rivermom's suggestion of smoking the pelt before braining it yet, so I'll maybe try that with one of the next pelts to see if it makes the process easier.