Wait, did you already try the wire brush route yourself or are you just guessing? I've seen folks mess up brick real bad with muriatic acid thinking it's the only way. That etching leaves permanent damage sometimes. How deep are those streaks anyway? Like can you feel a texture difference when you run your hand over them, or is it just a color thing?

Man that "phone flashlight trick" hit way too close to home lol. I've totally done the same thing, trying to read a blurry LCD while holding a flashlight in my teeth and balancing a screwdriver. It's honestly sad how long I put up with it just cause I didn't wanna spend the cash. The backlight is one of those things you don't realize you need until you actually use it, then you feel real dumb for all the time you wasted squinting. Now I just tell myself that every tool upgrade that saves me 10 minutes is basically paying for itself.