Could not agree more...

I am trying to think of any example in life where the scratching / etching of an amorphous substance would make it stronger / less susceptible to brittle fracture / failure.

Intentionally induced weak points are often used to make sure that a failure occurs at a given location in a product or piece of equipment. This would include fuses, fusible links, crimps on the lid of a capacitor, hand grenades, and frangible disks.

I'd be more worried about the chances of immediately fracturing the bulb when such activities are undertaken...