Light is not necessary, and too much light will damage mycellium. You could deep scratch, but you really shouldn't need to. If you really want to, use a flame-sterilized fork. Your problem could be with pH... if the casing is too acidic or basic pins will have a very hard time forming. You might want to get some pH papers from the drug store and test it out. I'm pretty sure your problem is with humidity though.... if raising the ambient humidity doesn't work, then try adjusting the pH with a light sprinkling of lime powder and then mist it down with a fine-mist spray bottle.

As for cold shocking, don't forget to seal your casing tray from the outside enviornment if you decide to do it... There's tons of potential contaminates floating around in a refridgerator.

About 5 or 6 days after I cased my batch, I put my casing in the refrigerator with the lid on. I left it in there over night and took it out in the morning. Later that day, it started to pin. I did the same with another casing and it pinned to.

I give cold shocking 2 thumbs up.

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Pics of a 15 cup casing comming soon