Painting zinc die castings

As always, the first step is preparation. Make sure there are no solvents or oils left on the pieces from casting, including oils from your hands. After that, a primer or wash that is made for galvanized metal should do the trick. Followed by your topcoat. Wear latex gloves during handling. The natural oils from hands are often overlooked, and can cause adhesion problems.

Visit a paint store of a manufacturer that has a presence in industrial/automotive painting. Sherwin Williams comes to mind. The guys at the commercial/industrial stores are more knowledgeable. Ask about vinyl wash. You don't want something that's so thick that it will cover up details.

I have a galvanized steel pool fence that is black powder coated. It is now 4 years old with no signs of deterioration.

I live in Arizona.

If it is black powder coated, with no signs of deterioration..............how do you know it's galvanized?

Is it possible it was powder coated instead of being galvanized?

I specified and paid for a galvanized, powder coated fence.

It is possible, but this is an old time, reputable fence company.

At this point, I don't much care.

I think it's worth a call to a powder coater.

Makes sense.

This is a rather old kit that consists of many small die cast pieces that will be glued together. I doubt the assembled frame would take the stress and temperature required for powder coating.

This should work fine as a primer. After that, a finish of your choosing.

http://www.rustoleum.com/CBGProduct.asp?pid=523

It says that it's fine for galvanized metal. You may want to double check with their tech line.